


When Darkness Falls

by AngelDesaray



Series: Of Love and War [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: AU, Aftermath of Violence, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Dark, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Romance, Angst and Tragedy, Battle, Betrayal, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Cliffhangers, Clone Wars, Complete, Comrades, Comrades in Arms, Dark, Death, Emotional Hurt, F/M, Feels, Female Friendship, Forbidden Love, Force Bond (Star Wars), Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Gray Jedi, Heavy Angst, Hurt, Hurt No Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Injury, Light Angst, Loss, Love, Love Confessions, Love Triangles, Male-Female Friendship, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Near Death, Near Death Experiences, Non-Graphic Violence, Original Character Death(s), People are About to Die, Please Don't Hate Me, Please Don't Kill Me, Romance, Sacrifice, Seduction to the Dark Side, Self-Sacrifice, The Dark Side of the Force, The Force, The Greatest Cliffhanger of All Time, There's a Reason For Everything, To Be Edited, Tragedy, Tragic Romance, Ultimate Sacrifice, Unrequited Love, Violence, War, With A Twist, bear with me, everything goes to shit, just keep reading
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-04-07 06:38:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 111,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14075115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelDesaray/pseuds/AngelDesaray
Summary: The Clone Wars comes to a crescendo. Worry abounds for loved ones as Zelina's loyalty is questioned, Anakin fears Padme's possible future death, and the Council begins to suspect Palpatine is up to something sinister. Will Zelina be able to hold their small group together and unravel the Sith Lord's web, or will all turn to ash?





	1. Dooku's Fate

Blaster fire flew past the viewport of Zelina's Jedi Starfighter in dizzying patterns, too complicated for Zelina to follow with her eyes. However, she did possess the skill with the Force to avoid the blasts that came too close to her ship.

She wasn't the only one navigating this colorful battlefield, however. Two other Jedi Starfighters were close to her position, a squadron of clone pilots assisting in a mad dash for the Separatist ship looming over the planet of Coruscant as it attempted to escape.

The _Invisible Hand_.

Grievous.

And Chancellor Palpatine was also on that ship, and also the reason they were rushing towards it in the first place.

Can't we just leave him? A small part of Zelina complained, but she snuffed the little voice out, focusing on flying through the explosion of two ships just ahead of her without hitting any shrapnel. Around her, vulture droids chased Republic fighters, warships exchanged fire against surfaces both shielded and vulnerable, chaos reigned.

But it all boiled down to one small group for her, three ships, with the squadron covering them background noise as well.

Yellow, red, and purple pained Jedi Starfighters. Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Zelina.

A Separatist ship exploded, causing the three to pull up to avoid the falling mass, one last futile missile launching from the ship to cause perhaps a scorch mark on the Republic ship that had shot it down.

While the kidnapping of Chancellor Palpatine by Grievous was daring, and the Republic Forces were the one scattered thin all across the galaxy right now, the sight was rather…pitiful.

But that was just one ship in a very large-scale battle, and if they didn't hurry, the Separatists would get away with a prize too valuable for the Republic to lose.

Unfortunately.

 _Maybe the Senate shouldn't have given him so much power, then we could elect a new chancellor if something happened without utter chaos occurring, and we'd all be better off,_ Zelina thought bitterly.

"General Grievous' ship is dead ahead—the one crawling with vulture droids," Anakin's voice suddenly came over through Zelina's headset, causing her to smile slightly.

It had been too long since she'd last heard her friends voice.

"Oh, I see it. Oh, this is going to be easy," Obi-Wan said sarcastically. Zelina brought her ship into position just between and above them, trailing slightly behind as she too focused on the ship ahead.

Obi-Wan connected to the troops that were flying behind them over their communications unit, giving orders for the squad to form behind Obi-Wan. Zelina automatically adjusted her position, coming even with Anakin's and Obi-Wan's ships but giving them enough room they could carry out evasive maneuvers if they had to.

"This is where the fun begins," Anakin declared, the vulture droids speeding towards their group.

"Let them pass between us," Obi-Wan reminded him, the three Jedi angling their starfighters so that the vulture droids would be assaulted by Oddball's squadron, allowing the Jedi to pass the vulture droids and keep racing for Grievous' ship before it could escape.

The vulture droids weren't even past the three Jedi before the firefight erupted, explosions occurring almost immediately as ships on both sides were blasted away. The Jedi starfighters rushed ahead, rapidly closing the distance between themselves and Grevious' ship.

Over their communications, they heard the sounds of overwhelmed pilots, the outbreak of dogfighting coming to an end as quickly as it started.

"I'm gonna go help them out," Anakin announced as one of the soldier's announcements ended with an abrupt loss of contact.

"No! No, they are doing their job so that we can do ours."

Zelina had to agree with Obi-Wan on that one. She hated losing men, but they were here so that the three Jedi could get on board that ship.

At least the 105th wasn't here—most of them were back on Ruusan with Cruiser, a few with some prisoners on Coruscant.

That wasn't a matter for right now, though, right now she needed to keep her head in the fight.

Example—vulture droids that hadn't reached them yet fired missiles their way, the neon blue streams the missiles left behind leaving a stark contrast against the black of space.

"Missiles—pull up!" Anakin barked. Zelina pulled sharply up, Obi-Wan and Anakin leaning to starboard and port respectively so the missiles went right between them, the three resuming their previous formation.

"They overshot us," Obi-Wan assured them. Anakin was quick to prove him wrong.

"They're coming around."

"They're locked onto us, be ready," Zelina chipped in, the three of them going in different directions to avoid their respective missiles.

"Ah, she speaks!" Anakin crowed, and Zelina rolled her eyes.

"I'm focused," she chided him, though there was a smile on her face as she spoke.

One missile followed Zelina, another following Obi-Wan, and two following Anakin. Zelina didn't pay much mind to what was going on with the other two, confident that they'd be able to shake their missiles. Instead, she focused on flying, angling her starfighter towards one of the Separatist ships and punching forward, the missile trailing close behind. She came close enough the rational, self-preservation part of her brain was screaming at her to pull up, but she stayed on course, relying on the Force to tell her when the right time was to pull sharply up, causing the missile to smash headfirst into the main bridge of the Separatist ship. She pulled up, doing a one-eighty and making her way back in the direction that the other two had been headed, looking to see if Obi-Wan or Anakin needed any help.

It looked like Obi-Wan could use some assistance. Anakin had gotten rid of his missile as quickly as Zelina had. Obi-Wan, on the other hand…

The missile that had been tailing him pulled ahead of Obi-Wan, and Zelina realized that these missiles hadn't been the impact and destroy kind, they had been the sabotage kind.

There were buzz droids in that missile.

Coming in hot, Zelina angled herself towards Obi-Wan, coming in on his starboard side and positioning herself just ahead of him before opening fire, successfully shooting down the missile before it could explode and release an angry barrage of buzz droids on him.

"You're welcome," Zelina called into their com channel. "Now, shall we get back on course?" she asked, bringing her ship into the lead just ahead of Obi-Wan. Anakin appeared at her port side, the three of them collectively returning to their original course, almost to the _Invisible Hand_.

"Grievous' ship is up ahead," Anakin announced.

Obi-Wan voiced Zelina's concern before she could, his voice cracking at the end of his shouted statement.

"Well have you noticed the shields are still up?"

They were coming in a little fast, enough that the fact there were still shields was worrisome.

That had been Anakin's job.

"Sorry, Master," Anakin replied, flipping over Zelina's ship as she moved aside so he could get a clear shot at the shield generator.

As the vacuum of space started to pull the contents of the hangar out into the battle, they all pushed their ships forward, hoping to make it into the hanger before the emergency door slammed shut, denying them access.

It was going to be a tight squeeze, that was for sure.

"Oh, I have a bad feeling about this," Obi-Wan declared before the three ships angled themselves to fit through the small space still open to them to get inside once they reached the hangar. Obi-Wan's ship hit the ground almost immediately since he'd been on the bottom as they squeezed inside, the red starfighter skidding across the floor of the hangar before he popped open the cockpit and leapt out, leaving the starfighter to stop whenever it pleased. Anakin, having been in the middle, had a smoother skid, and he even managed to plow through several battle droids along the way, making the number of droids they'd have to face outside their ships significantly smaller.

Zelina, being on top, managed to circle around with a dangerously sharp turn, her ship straining and slowing down considerably as she focused on using her ship's blasters to blow a few more droids away before setting her ship down. Anakin and Obi-Wan were already cutting through the droids when she got out of her ship, easily stepping off the wing.

Most of the droids were focused on Anakin and Obi-Wan, and she only had to take care of a few who turned their attention to her and her violet lightsaber before she was coming up behind the droids who had been too preoccupied with Anakin and Obi-Wan to notice her. Between the three of them, they made quick work of the droids in the hanger bay.

As the last droid fell to the ground, Zelina turned off her lightsaber and clipped it back to its usual position hooked to her hip, turning to Anakin with a large grin on her face before pulling him in for a welcoming hug.

The last time she'd seen him had been that mess with Fives, far too long ago. Recently, he and Obi-Wan had been dealing with the fighting on Mandalore, fighting that had included the return of Maul and reappearance of Ahsoka, apparently. As much as Zelina would have liked to have been there, both to finally capture Maul and to see Ahsoka again and see how she was doing, instead of being sent to help the others with Mandalore and Maul, she'd been sent to Ruusan, a Separatist planet that had been being used as a base of operations as the Separatists tried to choke off supplies to Republic forces by taking hold of the hyperlanes close to Ruusan. She'd left not long before the assault on the capital began, loath to leave her men behind while she returned to Coruscant, but confident in her Commander's ability to lead her men in her absence.

At least, in being called back, she was reunited with her friends.

Anakin returned the tight hug before Zelina pulled away, giving Obi-Wan a similar but also shorter embrace. "Sorry—I know we have an important mission and everything, but I just had to do that, first. I've missed you both."

"We'll have to catch up later—for now, we have a Chancellor to rescue," Obi-Wan said as she pulled away. They all made their way to where R2 was tapped into the ship's system, displaying a layout of the ship with a clear path marked out to where the Chancellor was being kept.

"The Chancellor's signal is coming from right there. The observation platform at the top of that spire," Obi-Wan said, his finger tracing the orange path to the dot that represented the Chancellor.

"I sense Count Dooku," Anakin commented, looking slightly distracted.

"I sense a trap," Obi-Wan returned, looking around at the carnage they'd left upon entering the ship.

"Next move?" Anakin asked, a small smile on his face. Obi-Wan grinned, a light of mischievousness in his eyes.

"Spring the trap."

"Obi-Wan, I'm used to seeing that gleam in Anakin's eyes, not yours," Zelina teased as they started to walk away. R2 whistled at them, almost sounding offended and inquisitive at the same time.

"R2, go back, I need you to stay with the ship," Anakin chided him. Obi-Wan was a step ahead, pulling out a personal com unit and tossing it R2's way.

"Here, take this—wait for orders."

Then they were finally moving to find their way through Grievous' ship and reach the chancellor.

Ideally before the Separatists made a jump into hyperspace to flee Coruscant.

* * *

The elevator they wanted wasn't far from the hanger, just down a few halls that were unsettlingly empty, practically waiting for the three of them.

Obi-Wan had hardly pressed the button to open the elevator doors when the distinct sound of metal rolling across the metal floors reached their ears, the three of them turning, on the defensive.

"Destroyers!" Anakin announced needlessly, and Zelina scowled, falling behind the two as they deflected the blaster fire.

They didn't need a third blade to do that.

The doors hissed open, and Zelina turned, pausing in alarm when she saw the elevator filled with Separatist droids.

They only stared at each other for a second before she leapt at them, cutting through the droids in the elevator in a matter of seconds, Obi-Wan and Anakin backing in as she advanced to avoid the destroyers.

The doors hissed closed not long after the last droid dropped to the ground.

"Watch your step," she quipped, earning a small smile from both of them.

"Glad we have you along to watch our backs, Zee," Anakin returned.

"That tends to be my job whenever I get paired up with you two."

The elevator started it rapid ascent, their goal the very top of the Invisible Hand's spire. A little convenient for them, honestly. Then again, Obi-Wan had stated he sensed a trap.

Trap, indeed.

The elevator suddenly screeched to a halt, Causing all three of them to look at each other in surprise.

"Did you press the stop button?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No, did you?" Anakin returned. Zelina rolled her eyes.

"Obviously no one pressed the button—shall we try a different elevator?" Zelina asked.

"There are three," Anakin agreed, opening the door of the elevator.

Almost instantly blaster fire erupted, coming straight at them from a multitude of points in the hall, as it was packed full of droids. Zelina lurched forward with both lightsabers to deflect the blasts coming Anakin's way—Obi-Wan held his own ground—as he started to slam the button to shut the doors again repeatedly.

"Bad idea!" he declared before anyone else could. Looking around again, they tried to think of another way to get moving.

The doors weren't an option as there was an army of battle droids on the other side waiting for them, probably getting ready to open the door again soon if they didn't get moving.

Maybe—

"Well, there's more than one way out of here," Anakin declared, activating his lightsaber yet again and lifting it to the ceiling, slowly cutting a hole they could potentially escape through.

Obi-Wan tried a more civilized approach.

"We don't want to get out, we want to get moving," Obi-Wan said as he fished a communication device out of his pocket. "R2, activate elevator 31174. Come in R2. R2, do you copy? R2, activate the elevator 31174."

"Getting out and getting a move on might become the same thing, those droids aren't just going to politely wait for us to open the door again, Obi-Wan," Zelina said pointedly. Obi-Wan was about to respond before they all suddenly had to take a step back, the chunk of ceiling Anakin was cutting through dropping straight to the floor. "Thanks for the warning," Zelina shouted at Anakin as he immediately jumped through the hole, using the Force to put more power in the movement, landing on top of the elevator with a dull thud.

Obi-Wan sighed rather dramatically. "Always on the move…"

Instead of following Anakin, the two of them remained in the elevator, Obi-Wan still trying to hail R2. Zelina figured if Anakin found another way, he'd tell them, and if Obi-Wan finally got in touch with R2, she would already be in the elevator.

Abruptly, while Obi-Wan was actually in the middle of trying to reach R2 again, the elevator lurched, throwing Zelina and Obi-Wan rather ungracefully to the floor.

From the lack of a sound of a body hitting the elevator or a person falling a great distance, Zelina assumed Anakin had grabbed onto a ledge before the elevator plummeted.

Obi-Wan was the first on his feet, eyes locking on the flashing lights indicating the floors rapidly passing them by one by one as he helped Zelina to her feet as well.

"Stop—stop, R2, we need to be going _up_!" Obi-Wan said in an exasperated tone. Zelina braced herself in one of the elevator's corners for the inevitable rough stop and resumed ascent, looking at Obi-Wan with a slight expression of disdain.

She didn't want to end up on the floor again.

"R2, do you copy? R2, do you hear me? R2, we need to be going up, not down." Obi-Wan looked at Zelina, pausing to wait and see if R2 would respond before turning away, about to try and speak again.

The elevator lurched, and Zelina tensed, knees buckling slightly but her arms keeping her from falling ungracefully to the floor, like Obi-Wan, a second time. She reached out to try and catch him before he fell, accidentally clipping him in the jaw. She hissed, withdrawing her hand and shaking it like it would get rid of the pain, looking at Obi-Wan apologetically as he got back to his feet rubbing his jaw.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, feeling her cheeks burning while he simply gave her a reprimanding look and hailed R2 once again.

"Now, that's better," he told the little droid, rubbing at his jaw still.

She hadn't hit him that hard, had she?

There was a couple clanks on the roof of the elevator, causing Zelina and Obi-Wan to reach for their lightsabers instinctively in case a few battle droids got the bright idea to try and jump onto the elevator.

Or it was Anakin. He still needed to get back in the elevator.

A mass of dark brown and black dropped down into the middle of the elevator, Obi-Wan activating his lightsaber and whipping around to attack the threat before Zelina grabbed his arm to stop him and he realized it was Anakin who had just dropped into the space behind him.

"Oh, it's you," Obi-Wan said in relief while Anakin adjusted his Jedi robe, giving Obi-Wan an accusing look.

"What was that all about?" Anakin asked. Zelina assumed he meant the elevator dropping out from underneath him suddenly. That or Obi-Wan trying to slice him in half when he returned to the elevator.

"Well, R2 has been—" Obi-Wan started, but Anakin cut him off before he could finish.

"Ah, ah, ah, no loose wire jokes."

"Did I say anything?" Obi-Wan asked defensively.

"He's trying."

"I didn't say anything!"

"Okay!" Zelina said a little loudly, drawing the attention to her. "Moving on. We're back en-route to the Chancellor and the trap that probably goes along with it. Does any of us have any semblance of a plan?"

Anakin made a show of looking contemplative for a few seconds before shrugging. "None whatsoever."

"So we're still winging it—got it," Zelina said with a shake of her head.

"Well, we can't exactly plan for the trap if we don't know what the trap is," Anakin said pointedly.

"Yes, but I am willing to bet it involves trapping us on that observation deck. Block the elevators, and we have no way out," Zelina pointed out.

"You're saying we can count on someone showing up at the elevators not long after us?"

"It would make sense—wait until we're in the room, then corner us there. So I'd assume there's no one waiting for us there—except the Chancellor, of course."

Obi-Wan gave Anakin a pointed look. "It's a thought."

"In any case, we should get ready," Zelina said pointedly, nodding towards the panel that showed their floor was quickly arriving.

The rescue was truly underway now, and soon, the trap would be sprung as well.

The elevator doors hissed open, allowing the three to enter the large and suspiciously empty observation deck. Upon hearing their entrance, a chair at the far end swiveled around, putting the back of the chair to the large viewports that displayed the battle currently going on in the space above Coruscant.

In the chair sat Palpatine, bound to the chair by energy binders on both wrists.

No one else was in sight, and the three hastily made their way down the stairs and to the Chancellor, Zelina glancing expectantly at the elevators every now and then.

Obi-Wan gave a very formal bow when they reached Palpatine. "Chancellor."

"Are you all right?" Anakin asked.

Zelina didn't ask after his health or anything, and she definitely didn't bow. She just stood off to the side, watching the elevators and listening to the conversation.

"Count Dooku," Palpatine said in reply, the same moment one of the four elevators that led to the observation deck opened, admitting the Sith himself and two super battle droids.

Hadn't he learned by now he needed a little more than that to hold them off? The three of them had been growing steadily stronger throughout the Clone Wars, and combined, she was rather confident they could take him.

Maybe this time, even beat him.

"This time we will do it together…" Obi-Wan said quietly as Zelina came to stand on either side of Obi-Wan.

"I was about to say that," Anakin answered quietly.

Zelina snorted, but didn't look Anakin's way. She knew he was giving her a dirty look, she didn't have to look at him to know that.

Up ahead, Dooku flipped over the railing, landing nimbly on his feet and reaching for his lightsaber as he began to approach the two Jedi.

_Show off._

"Get help, you're no match for him—he's a Sith Lord," Palpatine protested. Zelina had to resist the urge to roll her eyes.

Someone had been rather disconnected in regards to what was happening in the war. They'd had issues fighting Dooku in the past, but they were stronger now, and this time there were three of them, planning on working together against Dooku.

They were in a much better position to fight him this time.

Obi-Wan was the one who answered the Chancellor, turning to him with a slightly smug expression. "Chancellor Palpatine, Sith Lords are our specialty."

All three of them shed their Jedi cloaks, Anakin's dark brown, Obi-Wan's light brown, and Zelina's dark grey cloaks falling to disregarded crumpled heaps near the chancellor's chair.

That way, they would be out of the way.

"Your swords, please. We don't want to make a mess of things in front of the Chancellor," Dooku goaded as the four met in the middle, the tension before the battle thick in the air. After all these years in the Clone Wars, Zelina almost had a grudging respect for the Sith.

But he was also a cruel, monstrous man who'd taken Anakin's arm, and nearly killed all of them more than once, and those were just the instances that first came to mind.

"You won't get away this time, Dooku," Obi-Wan said calmly before activating his lightsaber. Anakin's snapped to life next, and then Zelina's violet blade, breaking the blue lightsaber theme.

A second later, Dooku's red lightsaber snapped to life, and the battle began.

Thankfully, the droids weren't a factor yet.

Anakin and Obi-Wan advanced, coming in on Dooku's left and right sides while Zelina cut right down the middle, Dooku's blade still arching gracefully to block their lightsabers despite the three pronged attack. Though their advances weren't all at once, giving Dooku fractions of seconds to adjust his lightsaber where it needed to be before he was overwhelmed.

Obi-Wan shifted, Zelina moving to take up where he'd been on Dooku's right as he tried to move behind the Count. Dooku still kept up with their movements, Anakin shifting to attack from the front as Obi-Wan ended up on Dooku's left.

They came to a stop after the brief flurry of fighting, everyone tense and ready for someone else to make a move.

"I've been looking forward to this," Dooku said, a twisted smile flickering across his face.

"For the day we beat you? I will admit, it's been a long time coming," Zelina countered.

"Don't be so sure that day is today, Du'ahn," Dooku replied coolly.

Obi-Wan was the first to attack this time, both he and Anakin coming at Dooku from the front while Zelina attacked from the side. Dooku deflected their blades, leaning away from Zelina's attack before swiping at her midriff and causing her to have to back away a few steps. While she moved, Anakin and Obi-Wan both went for another attack, Dooku catching both their blades on his at the same time before forcing himself between the two and shoving Obi-Wan to the other side of the room with a Force Push. Anakin and Zelina stayed on Dooku, Anakin taking a powerful swing at Dooku's head while Zelina came at him from the side again. Dooku ducked under Anakin's swing, knocking Zelina's lightsaber away with his own as he started to retreat back up the steps, carrying out the same dance he'd been doing with Obi-Wan and Anakin with Zelina and Anakin.

Except Zelina was just as aggressive in her fighting style as Anakin, which caused Dooku to have to rely heavily on defensive movements, and was most of the reason he was being force back up the steps as the two tag teamed him, slowly wearing him down, hopefully.

On the other set of stairs, Obi-Wan was taking care of the droids who had tried to attack him while he ascended the stairs, slightly delayed in finally reaching them. When he did, Dooku resulted to a three pronged attack that honestly none of them had expected.

Before Obi-Wan could even reengage in the fight, Dooku grabbed him in a Force Choke, lifting him up in the air. When Anakin and Zelina tried to interfere, Dooku kicked Anakin into the wall, momentarily stunning him—he'd probably augmented the kick with the Force—while Dooku replanted his feet and caught Zelina's attack on his lightsaber, pushing her back before he threw Obi-Wan aside into an overpass, Obi-Wan hitting hard enough to dent the steel railings and be knocked unconscious by the blow. Zelina was about to attack Dooku again, as she was the one on her feet, when Dooku suddenly tried to pull the overpass on top of Obi-Wan.

Instead of attacking Dooku—as he'd probably only deflect her again and it wouldn't do much good—Zelina threw her arm out, catching the overpass in the Force before it could crush Obi-Wan, eyes searching for a good place to put it down.

Since she was momentarily distracted, Dooku came at her, Zelina forced to split her attention between holding the overpass and holding off Dooku's focused attacks, the overpass tilting precariously in its spot hovering over Obi-Wan.

She needed to find a place to put it down so she could turn her full attention to the fight at hand.

Suddenly, Anakin reappeared, having recovered from his momentary stun, kicking Dooku in the chest and sending him backflipping over the railing to the ground below. Anakin didn't hesitate from following him, and knowing that the battle was taken care of for the moment, Zelina focused her attention on finding somewhere out of the way to finally set the overpass down.

Turning back to the battle, Zelina leaned over the railing to see Dooku and Anakin with blades locked, pushing against each other with brute strength while Dooku goaded Anakin.

_Not a smart move…_

"I sense great… _fear_ in you, Skywalker," Dooku growled as Zelina made her way down the stairs like a normal person to rejoin the fight. "You have hate…you have anger…but you don't use them," Dooku chided.

In the next moment, Anakin broke the lock, pushing Dooku back at the same time before advancing with a dark look.

 _Well, Sithspit, now he's using them,_ Zelina thought in exasperation, finally coming even with the Anakin to rejoin the fight.

Anakin's attacks came hard and fast, Zelina hardly having to do much as the raw intensity of Anakin's attacks began to overwhelm Dooku, sending him backtracking rapidly towards where the Chancellor was seated watching the fight unfold.

Anakin went high with his attack, Zelina forced Dooku to move as she went low, Anakin came at him from the front, Zelina the side, Dooku hard pressed to keep up with their combined attacks. He tried to move around Anakin, to get a better angle, to put off his footing.

Anakin followed him, using the maneuver to his advantage before finding himself close enough he grabbed Dooku's arms and in one smooth motion—that partially shocked Zelina—cut off his hands, calling Dooku's lightsaber into his free hand.

Zelina stepped back, taking a position behind Dooku as the Count fell to his knees, Anakin crossing his blue blade and Dooku's red at his neck, keeping the Sith where he was. Zelina's blade hummed off to her side just behind him, like a warning that even if he managed to wiggle away from Anakin, Zelina was still right behind him.

"Good, Anakin, good!" Palpatine crowed, obviously pleased with the outcome of events. He laughed for a brief moment before, with that smile still in place, giving a chilling order. "Kill him."

"Chancellor," Zelina started to protest, eyeing Anakin warily. Palpatine cut her off.

"Kill him, now."

Zelina's gaze was still on Anakin, on the confliction clearly manifested in his features that mirrored the conflict she could sense within him in the Force. That age old conflict Anakin had been struggling with this entire war.

The conflict Luke had been asking her to help him with in her visions.

"I shouldn't," Anakin said through grit teeth, trying to choose the moral high ground even though the opportunity for revenge was right here, so close, and he was being given an order by the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic to execute the Sith Lord here and now.

The chance was ripe, but if he killed Dooku in this moment, it would have dark repercussions and feed the wrong side of the conflict in Anakin.

"Do it," the Chancellor ordered sharply.

Before Anakin could decide what he was going to do, Zelina suddenly reached to her right with her free hand, pulling off her green shoto blade and, with a reverse grip on the lightsaber, shoving the blade sharply upwards through Dooku's chest. The Count arched, Anakin stepping back in shock as Zelina yanked her shoto blade back out, pulling the Count's body down to the ground with the motion.

She turned off both her lightsabers, clipping them to their respective places at her waist before turning on her heel, putting her back to the stunned Anakin and shocked but contemplative Palpatine before making her way over to where Obi-Wan still lay unconscious.


	2. Return to Coruscant

Zelina kneeled down beside Obi-Wan, checking his pulse before turning him over. Despite being unconscious, he seemed like he'd be okay, so long as they still got out of here.

After releasing the Chancellor, Anakin appeared at her side, looking like he was about to go off on a long rant. "Zelina—" he started seriously, but she cut him off.

"Anakin, I'm not going to have this argument with you in front of the Chancellor—let's just get out of here," she said seriously, stepping aside and gesturing to Obi-Wan. "You got him?"

"I do."

Palpatine paused when he saw them fretting over Obi-Wan's fallen form, halting his mad dash towards the exit. "Leave him, or we'll never make it—we must get off this ship before it's too late."

Zelina scowled, but Anakin answered before she could, pulling Obi-Wan onto his back. "His fate will be the same as ours," Anakin said in a stubborn voice that left no room for argument.

Palpatine relented, though he looked rather annoyed that they'd stopped to pick up Obi-Wan. Zelina blatantly ignored him, making her way back to the elevator they'd used to get here.

"Anakin, the elevator's not working—we need R2," she told him as he approached.

Anakin nodded, pulling out his communications device for R2. "R2, activate elevator 3224."

Zelina looked to Anakin, about to make a quip about hoping it wouldn't take as long to get the elevator working this time when the ship suddenly lurched, drastically tilting down. Zelina cursed, Palpatine falling rather ungraciously before he caught the side of the elevator, Anakin doing the same. With a small grunt, Zelina waved her hand, opening the elevator doors with the Force and grabbing onto the edge of the floor as the ship continued to tilt.

"Go—we might be able to make it to our floor before they stabilize the ship," she commanded. The three of them pulled themselves up into the elevator shaft, running at a dead sprint down the length of the shaft since it was currently on it's side. Despite having Obi-Wan on his back, Anakin still took the lead.

Halfway there, Zelina felt the floor start to shift, her stomach doing an unpleasant flip. "Brace yourselves—we're leveling out," she announced, the ship gradually but noticeably shifting back to it's upright position. They were all still knocked off their feet, sliding down the shaft as it was still at an angle they weren't dropping like a weight through empty air. Palpatine latched onto Anakin's leg as they slid, Anakin's hand scrambling for something to hold onto. Zelina, meanwhile, spotted a ledge coming up, one she could pull herself onto once the ship straightened. She kicked off the side they were sliding on, backflipping and landing hard with both hands clutching the surface, dangling precariously before the ship straightened enough she could start to pull herself onto the ledge.

Glancing behind her, she saw Anakin holding onto some wiring in the wall, Obi-Wan dangling—still unconscious—on his back and Palpatine holding to his leg for dear life.

She was glad she'd gone for the leg instead of adding to that mess.

A shout of alarm drew her attention back to Obi-Wan, who'd returned to consciousness at the worst moment. Honestly, he needed to work on his timing.

Upon seeing the possible plunge to his death, Obi-Wan jerked upright, hooking his arms around Anakin and holding on almost as desperately as the Chancellor, who's only anchor to a shot at continuing life was Anakin's foot.

"Easy—we're in a bit of a situation," Anakin reprimanded him.

"Did I miss something?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Everything," Zelina quipped as she got to her feet on her ledge.

"Hold on," Anakin said. Zelina was looking around for their way out, the next level, hopefully. There was one a little ways below them…

"What is that?" Obi-Wan asked sharply, drawing Zelina's attention.

"Uh…" Anakin sounded pretty stressed…

Looking up, Zelina saw why.

The elevator was coming back down.

Rapidly.

"R2—R2, shut down the elevator," Anakin tried, but the elevator was coming far too fast for that.

"Chancellor, I'm going to throw you," Zelina said suddenly, giving no one else time to register what she was thinking as she waved a hand to open the doors to the level below them.

"What?" he asked sharply.

"No time to argue!"

Without waiting for permission of any kind, she lifted him with the Force, using his surprise to her advantage as his grip on Anakin's foot slackened enough for Zelina to pull him off Anakin, then she lowered and pushed him into the hall below them with the Force.

"Drop!" she ordered the other two. Her spot put her safely away from the elevator—theirs they would be crushed if they stayed.

Anakin obeyed without question, letting go of the wires and allowing Zelina to push him and Obi-Wan into the hall as he passed. The next instant she had to put her back flat against the wall, standing flush against the ledge as the elevator roared past.

"Zelina!"

Anakin's shout echoed up the elevator shaft, Zelina sticking her head out so he could see she was all right.

"You got me?" Zelina asked, leaning over the edge so he knew she had the intention to jump. Either he'd catch her with his hands or he'd catch her with the Force. Either way, she knew he'd catch her.

She just wanted to make sure he was ready.

"Ready," Anakin called back, arms outstretched and waiting before she took a deep breath and stepped off the ledge, pushing forward enough it would bring her close to Anakin. She reached out her arm, managing to latch on when she felt his gloved mechanical hand meet hers. He grunted, going down on one knee with the force of her fall but holding on. Zelina hit the side of the elevator shaft, both of them taking a moment to recover before Anakin started to pull her up and into the hallway. Obi-Wan came over to assist, grabbing her other arm so that within moments she was lying on her back between the two.

Zelina let out a long breath of relief. "Well, that was fun."

Obi-Wan patted her shoulder, helping her to her feet. "Let's see if we can find something in the hangar bay that's still flyable."

"R2, get down here. R2, do you copy?" Anakin called into his com unit, a series of beeps telling them he'd heard him.

"Come on—we're back on their security feeds, so we need to get moving," Zelina announced, pulling Anakin forward by the sleeve before they started to run down the hall.

The sooner they were off this ship, the better.

* * *

"There's four of us, and none of us bothered to look _up_?" Zelina muttered incredulously as the four of them, plus R2, were led to the bridge of Grievous' ship.

"We had other things on our mind," Anakin answered.

"Still, just one of us had to be bothered to look up for us to see the ray shield. Just one of us, and we would have been fine instead of _captured_ ," Zelina grumbled.

"You didn't see it, either."

"…Shut up."

The two stopped their bickering automatically as their group entered the bridge of Grievous' ship in cuffs. Zelina's eyes darted about the room to take note of how many droids there were, the Neimoidian, the two Magna guards…

And General Grievous.

An age old hatred of the droid general flared up inside her upon seeing him, a hatred she worked to stifle before it got out of hand and got them into more trouble than they were already in.

Maybe they'd be lucky, and they could kill General Grievous as well today.

"Ah, yes…The Negotiator, General Kenobi. We've been waiting for you. That wasn't much of a rescue," Grievous goaded, snatching their lightsabers from the droid that had confiscated them. Seeing his robotic fingers curled around Ur-Sema's lightsaber again made a dark fury bubble up inside Zelina, and she did nothing to hide the contemptuous look she gave Grievous.

"And—" Grievous paused to cough. "Anakin Skywalker, complete with the little sidekick."

Zelina scowled. Why did she keep getting called Anakin's sidekick? Could they not get any more creative?

Then again, the statement did get under her skin as it stood…

"Just think, this little sidekick cut off one of your arms. I do hope you've improved by then, Wheezy," Zelina returned, expression cool. A smirk flashed across Anakin's face while Grievous glared at her.

"Jedi scum," he hissed, turning away.

"Normally, it's Anakin I have to remind to play nice, not you," Obi-Wan chided her.

"No, it's me, too," she corrected. Beside them, R2 locked himself in an upright position, the red light on his dome turning blue.

That was their signal he was ready.

"Your lightsabers will add a fine addition to my collection—and I am pleased to see my first _restored_ ," Grievous sneered, most of the malice in his words aimed at Zelina.

He was just trying to get a rise out of her.

"Not this time—and this time, you won't escape," Obi-Wan returned with a smile.

"R2!" Anakin said sharply, and R2 suddenly went berserk, sparks and electricity flying everywhere as a distraction as Obi-Wan called his lightsaber back into his bound hands, cutting his bonds, then Anakin's and finally Zelina's. She'd hardly straightened before Anakin was offering her lightsabers to her, his blade already activated in his other hands.

"How thoughtful," she quipped before turning to cut down the battle droids closest to her.

Best to get rid of the nuisances first before moving on to Grievous.

"Make them suffer!" Grievous growled. Obi-Wan intercepted the two Magna Guards Grievous retreated behind, Anakin chasing after the Chancellor as a few battle droids tried to lead him away, Zelina continuing to plow right through the battle droids.

Once she finished, she turned to find herself face to face with one of the Magna Guards, Obi-Wan having split them up as he forced himself between the two.

Of course.

Zelina batted aside the droid's spinning electrostaff, teeth clenched as she aimed to either destroy the staff or cut a few parts off the droid between her defensive maneuvers, refusing to be pushed back by its attacks.

She didn't pay much attention to where the other two were, so she was mildly surprised when Anakin appeared at her side, blocking the electrostaff the same time she did. She shot him a quick smile as they both disengaged, waiting for the moment to come again for the opportunity she could exploit now that she was expecting it.

Anakin seemed to automatically know what she was thinking, as he didn't draw out the fight long, quickly creating the window Zelina was looking for as they both blocked the staff on opposite ends at the same time again. This time, in the brief lull while the staff was stuck in one place before the droid disengaged, Zelina pulled out her shoto blade and sliced the staff in half. Anakin and she lunged forward, Zelina stabbing the droid through the chest while Anakin cut clean through it's waist.

One Magna Guard down.

They both turned to see how Obi-Wan was doing, managing to see him cut his Magna Guard into pieces.

Make that just Grievous left.

The three of them boxed Grievous in, putting his back to the viewport as Anakin and Obi-Wan ended up on either side of the walkway, Zelina standing on one of the control panels in the perfect position to jump down on him from above. Grievous picked up Obi-Wan's Magna Guard's fallen staff, reptilian yellow eyes flickering between the three Jedi.

"You lose, general Kenobi!" Grievous spat before using the staff to smash a hole in the viewport.

Zelina cursed, dropping to place herself behind the control console as the window shattered, allowing space to try and suck them out into it's deadly vacuum. She saw Obi-Wan's and Anakin's hands appear over the edge of the console, latching on to both Anakin's and Obi-Wan's arms to keep them from being sucked out of the ship, bracing her feet against the console. It was a good thing she did so, because Obi-Wan slipped, his grip on Zelina the only thing keeping him with them.

Eventually the docking bay sealed itself again, and they all got back on their feet in relief, looking around the empty bridge.

Well…they had a ship, now. Though she really didn't want to stay on this one since it was under heavy fire and crawling with enemy forces.

They weren't given much of a choice.

"All the escape pods have been launched," Anakin announced as some of the displays started flashing a warning.

"Grievous," Obi-Wan cursed before turning back to Anakin. "Can you fly a cruiser like this?"

Anakin sighed in irritation. "You mean learn how to land what's left of this thing."

"Well?"

"Well, under the circumstances, I'd say the ability to pilot this thing is irrelevant. Strap yourselves in."

Everyone found a seat, Anakin clearly taking the piloting spot. Everyone was around something spitting out readings, but Zelina had no idea what hers were saying. She didn't know how the larger ships worked, she was more of a one-person fighter pilot.

"Open all hatches, extend all flaps and drag vents," Anakin told Obi-Wan, who was apparently sitting somewhere useful.

Well, she'd just sit back and pray to the Force they didn't die, then.

R2 wheeled past her, connecting himself to a console and doing…something with the ship. She didn't quite know what.

Whatever it was might have been a mistake, as not long after R2 did his thing, the entire ship lurched, and they started picking up speed in their descent towards Coruscant while R2 whirred a sound that came suspiciously close to an uh-oh.

"We lost something…" Anakin announced, glancing towards the back of the ship before turning his attention back to what he was doing.

"Not to worry—we are still flying half a ship," Obi-Wan said cheerfully.

"True, true, it's better than being blasted out of the sky entirely."

After that, everything came rapid-fire, the conversation almost moving too fast to properly identify who said what.

"We're in the atmosphere."

"Grab that—keep us level."

"Steady…"

"Easy, R2!"

"So this is how I die—I always knew it would be from your piloting, Ani."

"Not helping!"

"Five thousand—five ships on the left and the right."

"Landing strip's straight ahead!"

"We're coming in too hot."

 _Here it comes,_ Zelina thought, bracing herself as the landing strip loomed ahead, their speeds still fast enough she had no doubt this wasn't a landing but a full-on crash.

The ship impacted with the ground, throwing everybody forward as it screeched the length of the landing pad, the sound almost deafening as they all waited for the ship to finally stop.

She was pretty sure they took out a lookout tower along the way…

Finally, the ship jolted one last time, jostling everyone in their seats as they all processed that they'd stopped moving.

Obi-Wan swept some stray hair out of his face with a grin.

"Another happy landing."

* * *

"General Du'ahn."

Zelina paused, turning to see Gambit standing just before the columns of the Senate building, helmet under his arm as he stood at attention, waiting for her to acknowledge him.

"Excuse me," she said apologetically to Bail Organa and Anakin, giving Anakin a small smile as she turned to leave him at the mercy of the Senate for war business.

She couldn't help it—she had been willing to suffer through the politics after the Chancellor's rescue with him, but duty was now calling her elsewhere.

Zelina made her way over to Gambit, waving a hand dismissively. "At ease, Gambit, you know I don't care for all that formality."

Gambit relaxed, a small smile slipping across his face. "I know, General. But since it's the senate, I figured I should stick to the formalities for appearance's sake."

"Smart. I take it you arrived recently?"

"Not long before the attack, ma'am."

"And the prisoners."

Gambit frowned. "Being transferred to maximum security soon."

Zelina's eyebrows rose substantially. "Maximum security? What for? Did something happen?"

Gambit shook his head. "They're being treated charged with treason against the Republic."

"You're kidding me."

"I'm afraid not."

"They're Separatist Civilians, not soldiers in their army, or Republic Citizens for that matter."

"Its all a bunch of political nonsense, if you ask me, General. They have actual Separatists to make an example out of instead of clankers, and they're branding all of them as guerilla soldiers who attacked us left and right as we valiantly tried to save Republic citizens and soldiers," Gambit explained bitterly.

"They saw an army marching towards their village and tried to protect it. And let's not forget what happened later."

"They're not reporting that part, ma'am. They've already been villainized, and the propaganda has already spread across Coruscant. Their transfer is actual public knowledge."

Now she was worried. "They do realize how stupid that is, right? Protesters might be the least of our worries."

"I know, ma'am. That's why I came to tell you. I figured you should know what was happening."

"So I can try and do something about it."

"Well, that part's entirely up to you, ma'am," Gambit said, a small smile on his face.

"Please, you knew I'd jump right into the middle of it."

Gambit's smile faded slightly. "Just…be careful when you do, General. This one is…very politically charged."

"I know…Oh, I hate politics."

"We all do."

Zelina took a moment to look out over the Senate district of Coruscant, shaking her head. "When's the move?"

"Two days time."

"So if I want to see them it has to be soon. Got it. You've done your duty, Gambit, you and the others can relax. The rest of the 105th will be back as soon as they take Ruusan's Capital."

Gambit snapped a salute—probably for show, as there were a couple of senators passing nearby—his hand coming near his new Idiot's Array tattoo. "See you around, General."

Zelina nodded, watching him walk away with a small sigh. She liked the tattoo—all the members of the 105th who had their chips removed had gotten tattoos on their head to hide the scars, the story being that her elite troops were marking themselves proudly, something along those lines.

Gambit had the Idiot's Array, Nex a Nexu, Var a Varactyl, Bruiser a thermal detonator.

Damn Cruiser had nearly made her cry with his, a Greater Krayt Dragon rearing its head and roaring, in honor of their general, based off the necklace always around her neck to this very day.

Cruiser, on her order, had told Rex about their discovery, that Fives hadn't been as insane as he was portrayed to the Republic, that removing the chips hadn't had any effect on them from what they could see, and how Zelina didn't trust the chips, especially with how much went into hiding them. Considering she hadn't been approached by anyone wanting to punish her for having some of her men remove their chips, she assumed that Rex kept the secret, and hoped he'd acted on the information, maybe even spread it to some of the other members of the 501st.

She didn't know, and she wasn't about to risk it and start asking around. That information was best kept close to her chest.

As for the business with the Separatist prisoners…well, she was going to have to do something about that. They were citizens, and did not deserve to be thrown to the wolves of the public simply to satisfy some of the roaring unrest coming from the Republic regarding how long this blasted war was lasting.

Zelina rubbed at her temples, turning back to the Senate building to head within. Maybe she could find Padmé and recruit her help with this. She'd go to Satine, too, but the poor woman probably had her hands full with Mandalore, since that was a hot battleground right now. From what she'd heard, the conflict was fierce, especially if it involved Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and Maul.

Of course, now it was just Ahsoka, Rex, and Maul. She didn't like the thought of Anakin's former apprentice without any Jedi backup against Maul, but she also knew Ahsoka could hold her own.

And Satine…no doubt knowing peaceful Mandalore had turned into a warzone was tearing her apart. She felt for her friend.

She definitely had to see Satine. Not to ask for Satine help, but to offer her own, however she could.

Zelina had hardly passed into the shadow of he Senate building's columns when she was stopped yet again, this time buy a strong hand gripping her arm and pulling her aside.

She almost attacked to defend herself, but she was stopped first by the thought that they were in the Senate building and, while possible, the chance of her being attacked was very low. Not to mention she was being pulled aside, not strangled or stabbed or anything like that.

Lastly, she saw it was Anakin.

"Anakin, what—" she started to say, but was cut off as he grabbed her in a _very_ unexpected hug and spun her around, a grin on his face. "What—"

"Luke," Anakin said simply, that huge smile somehow brightening. Zelina was only further confused. She needed more context than the name of Anakin's future son, needed other words to tell her what about Luke had garnered this reaction.

Did he have a vision himself or something?

"Anakin, what about Luke?" she asked in confusion, noticing Padmé making her way towards them from where she'd been hidden moments ago, possibly with Anakin.

Risky, rendezvousing in the shadow of the Senate building. Then again, Anakin had been growing restless about keeping his relationship with Padmé secret.

Anakin held Zelina at arm's length, a hand on either arm as he met her gaze with an almost…glow, about him.

"Zelina, Padmé's pregnant. Luke's coming."


	3. A Good Friend, Jedi, Leader

"Luke's coming."

Zelina held perfectly still the first few moments after Anakin's announcement needing a moment to process what he was saying.

Padmé was pregnant.

Luke was going to be born soon.

Already? He was already coming?

Luke had warned her of bad things that were to come, were they coming as well?

Anakin's statement raised far more questions than Zelina wanted right now, with not nearly enough answers.

But still, _Luke was coming_.

Eventually, she managed to react, a small sound of surprise escaping her as all these thoughts flashed through her mind. Should she be happy, worried, what?

For now, she'd settle for happy. There was enough going on right now, she didn't think worried was something she could afford to be on top of everything else she was already concerned about.

"That's…Force, Anakin, that's wonderful!" she finally exclaimed, reality settling back in as she gave Anakin another hug. She saw Padmé had finally reached them and pulled herself from Anakin's embrace to hug her other friend, a little more carefully this time. "Congratulations, both of you!"

Zelina pulled back, a hand on Anakin's arm and her other hand on Padmé's arm as a thought occurred to you. "You both need some time—to celebrate and to be together, it's been far too long. Anakin, go home with her, I'll cover for you. I want to see Satine later, so I have to be at the Senate anyway."

"Are you sure? I know you hate politics—" Anakin started to ask, but Zelina waved his question away.

"Yes, Ani, I'm sure. Spend the day with your wife, you both deserve it," she reassured them.

Anakin grinned, giving her another hug. "Thanks, Zee. I owe you one."

"You don't owe me anything. Now go on, before somebody tries to snag one of you. I'll be fine."

The two gave their thanks once again before finally departing, slipping away successfully without drawing any attention. Zelina sighed, watching their transport depart before turning back to the Senate Building.

Padmé, Anakin once he remembered he wanted to talk with her about Dooku, the briefing at the Jedi Temple, mingling with the public after the Chancellor's rescue, Satine, the prisoners from Ruusan, her men, Luke…

Zelina took a deep breath.

One thing at a time, and maybe she wouldn't get overwhelmed.

* * *

When Zelina finally managed to peel herself away from all the politicians she had to mingle with for appearances alone, she made a beeline towards Satine's apartment. It was on the way back to the Jedi Temple, where she still needed to go for a briefing and to cover for Anakin's disappearance, so it saved her some running around later.

All the while she talked to the politicians, Luke had been in the back of her mind…

* * *

_Every choice you make affects me…_

_You could be my protector, my guardian, my teacher, or not be there at all. It is all up to the path that you and my father choose. Please, watch over my father. You must help him, you need to protect him. He needs you; I need you…_

_Are you prepared?_

_Prepared for what?_

_Everything. Everything's about to start happening at once, and you're going to be the one factor that can change all of it. What are you prepared to do?_

_Anything._

_That's not the right answer. Saying you'll do anything…_ _Anything could mean you're willing to do what cannot be done, and that's the reason we're all in this mess._

_The future…it's so cold…It's moving so fast, I…I don't know what's happening to me…one moment I'm fine, at peace, and the next…there's nothing, or darkness and I…it's so dark…there's no light…I'm all alone. Force, don't let me be alone! Not like this! I'm scared…it's so cold…don't let it take me, please! Don't let me die! Father, please!_

_This next year…it will be the hardest of your life. But if you don't stop fighting it will be worth it. Please, don't give up on the galaxy yet. Trust yourself and the Force, and you won't be led astray. I promise you. The ripples you make now will be the largest down the road. The future is ever in motion, and each step you take from here on out will alter everything…_

_You may see me sooner than you think._

* * *

Zelina got out of her speeder, expression thoughtful as she slowly made her way to Satine's door, lost in her musings over her past visions. If Luke was going to be born soon…did that mean she'd know whether or not she'd dodged the darkness he'd feared, if she'd made the right choices, soon?

She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know. What if she had chosen wrong at some pivotal moment? What if there were more key choices to make, and she failed to choose the right path?

So much for not worrying about Luke yet. Hearing he was going to be born soon had awakened an avalanche of worries within her, worries she wouldn't be able to quiet because they were personal, they were embedded in a core part of her.

They had to do with Anakin, and the son she'd grown somewhat attached to before he was even conceived.

Zelina looked up as the doors ahead of her opened before she quite reached them, startled. Had Satine somehow known she was coming?

No, _Obi-Wan_ was leaving the Duchess' apartment at this very moment.

_What in the name of—_

"Obi-Wan?" Zelina asked, shocked.

What was it, couples' week? Did she need to find a date for the next few days? What was this?

Obi-Wan seemed just as surprised to see Zelina here as she was to see him. Though he also looked…embarrassed.

"Zelina? What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing—I came to visit Satine before heading for the briefing. What are you doing, sneaking around with the Duchess, hmm?"

Zelina had to resist the urge to snort as the great Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Negotiator of the Clone Wars, turned red and started to sputter, struggling for words in the face of her blatant implication. "I am _not_ sneaking around with—"

Zelina held up a hand, laughing. "Relax, Obi-Wan, I'm _messing_ with you."

Obi-Wan groaned, face still flushed. "You and Anakin are going to be the death of me."

Zelina waved her hands in the air, walking past him towards Satine's door. "It's fine, it's fine—there's nothing wrong with visiting her, I actually encourage it. You two go well together."

She had him blushing again. "Zelina."

"I'll stop messing with you, I'm sorry, Obi-Wan, continue on. I'm going to visit with Satine awhile and then I'll be at the Temple. I'll see you there," Zelina laughed, turning and making her way to Satine's door. She heard Obi-Wan sigh behind her, but he didn't say anything, choosing to leave rather than risk Zelina teasing him more.

When Satine answered the door she seemed surprised, and might have been expecting it to be Obi-Wan standing on the other side of the door since it was so soon after he'd left.

Instead she was met with Zelina on the other side of the door.

"Zelina? I thought you were—"

"Obi-Wan? Yeah, I just ran into him," Zelina chuckled. "Do you have time for another visitor, or should I come back another time?" Zelina asked curiously.

Satine stepped aside to let her into the apartment. "Please, come in."

Zelina stepped inside, giving Satine a small smile as she made her way into Satine's living room. Satine gestured for her to sit on the couch, taking a seat on the couch across from her.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you—how are you?" Satine asked.

"Busy as ever. They've been sending me all over the galaxy on missions and such—I hadn't seen Anakin and Obi-Wan in months before the Chancellor was kidnapped. I love being back on the front lines, but…it's nice to be back among friends," Zelina said with a smile.

"Everyone needs a break from time to time."

"What about you? How are things going for you? I've only heard bits and pieces about what's going on with the conflict on Mandalore," Zelina said quietly.

Satine nodded, suddenly solemn. "Yes, well…considering how war torn Mandalore has become, it will be a while before Mandalore recovers. It's also been decided that whenever Maul's puppet government is officially overthrown, I will step down as ruler, and my sister will take over. The people don't exactly want a return to pacifism after what happened," Satine said steadily. Zelina frowned, feeling her heart ache for her friend's situation.

All of her hard work, gone in what probably felt like an instant. Mandalore was going to return to its warrior ways.

Zelina could appreciate Satine's dreams of a peaceful Mandalore, but in reality—especially the one they lived in today—it just wasn't possible. Mandalore needed its warriors. Plus, they were a central part to Mandalore's history, a part that couldn't just be shoved away to forever be forgotten.

"I'm sorry, Satine…for what it's worth."

"Thank you, Zelina. At least this blasted war will be over soon—with the death of Count Dooku and all."

Zelina sighed. "Yes, well…Palpatine made it clear that he wasn't even going to consider peace until Grievous is taken care of. Honestly, so long as Grievous is still around, there's still going to be conflict—he seems to thrive on it."

Satine nodded, letting a comfortable silence linger for a few moments after Zelina's statement before moving onto a different subject. "Do you know how long you'll be on Coruscant?"

Zelina shrugged. "No idea. They probably won't send me back to Ruusan, we were close enough to our victory I'd probably arrive in time for all the fighting to be over. Besides, I have some interests to follow up with while I'm here on Coruscant."

"What would that be?"

Inwardly, Zelina cringed. She'd walked into that one—she wanted to involve Padmé, not Satine. Satine had enough on her plate. But now she had to explain what was going on.

"While we were on Ruusan there were a group of…I guess you could say rebels, who sabotaged my men's equipment and tried to slow us down while we were in their village, and even told the Separatists where we were. They were apprehended, and the Chancellor wanted them brought back to Coruscant—they arrived not long before his kidnapping. Now they're being put on trial for treason against the Republic and being moved to a maximum security prison in a few days. It's all nonsense, since they're civilians who tried to protect their families and friends from an invading army, _and_ they fought beside us later when the Separatist army arrived."

Satine made a frustrated sound of disgust. "Just another reason why I wanted to keep Mandalore neutral. There's corruption on both sides."

Zelina nodded. "I'm going to go see the prisoners later tonight. Hopefully I'll be able to do something to set things right, or at least improve the situation. It seems that's going to be my mission while I'm here."

"I wish you luck. If you need any help—"

Zelina waved her hand. "I appreciate the offer, Satine, but you focus on Mandalore. You've got enough on your hands as it is. I have other places I can turn to for help if I need to." Deciding to change the topic before Satine pursued the topic any further. "So…what was Obi-Wan here for."

Satine gave Zelina a secretive, knowing smile. "He just came by to visit, despite what you're thinking."

"Me? I'm not thinking anything, it's just an innocent question. Though I will say…" Zelina started, fighting a smile. "If there was some…secretive private matters occurring, I'd be willing to cover for the two of you."

Satine actually looked scandalized. "Nothing like that is happening! It would be against the Jedi Code!"

 _Code doesn't stop it from happening anyway_ , Zelina thought, her smile growing to a smirk. "Mm…Obi-Wan's pretty fond of you, though, you and I both know it."

Satine was blushing, but she was quick on the return. "Tell me, how's Anakin?"

"Oh, that's not fair."

"It's just an innocent question."

Zelina rolled her eyes, Satine smiling victoriously as the matter was effectively closed.

Politicians…

* * *

The briefing was unexciting, as usual, the excuse for Anakin easily rolling from her lips.

_It's not his fault he's not here, the politicians didn't want to let him go. I am going to meet him later, though, I'll fill him in on anything important._

That way he had an excuse for why he wasn't at the meeting, and she could claim he'd been with her all night to cover him spending the night with Padmé, if anyone asked.

She was getting a little too good at covering for her friends' secret marriage.

Then again, there had been a knowing flicker in Obi-Wan's eyes, and not for the first time, she wondered if he was catching on to Padmé's and Anakin's relationship. She knew he definitely knew they both had strong feelings for each other, but she was pretty sure the extent of their relationship was unknown to him.

For now. It seemed he was starting to get suspicious.

If Padmé was about to have Luke, those suspicions would be pretty much confirmed for Obi-Wan. And there were going to be plenty of questions. Padmé and Anakin really needed to think about—

No. No, no, no, this was not her place to speculate on what Padmé and Anakin should do in their situation. That was a decision Padmé and Anakin had to make, when they felt it was time to address those concerns.

No doubt it would loom over them like a dark shadow, and if it wasn't already, it would soon.

Again, the decision was for them to make, not for her to speculate on.

She had enough on her plate right now, anyway.

It was night by the time she arrived at the prison the Ruusan citizens were being kept, and she was partially surprised they let her past the front desk to go visit them, considering all the fuss that was being made over them, turning them into high profile prisoners of war.

Maximum security…what was the Senate thinking?

Who had even made the motion?

A scowl flickered across her face for the thirtieth time today thinking about this entire mess, though she shoved her frustration at the entire situation aside when she finally reached the detention block the Ruusans were being kept in.

As Zelina came within view of their cells, several faces familiar from the conflict she'd left for the Chancellor's rescue peered at her from behind shields, some looking betrayed, others relieved, while some looked downright angry.

"Fair treatment, huh?" one of the men asked, leaning into the doorway with hands braced on either side of the frame. Zelina felt a small frown flicker across her face at his words.

"If it was up to me, yes, but I'm not the Senate. I didn't expect this to happen," Zelina replied, coming to a stop near his cell. The man scoffed.

"How could you not? Unless you're really that oblivious to what side you're fighting for."

"I'm sorry you were treated so poorly once you left my custody. I thought you'd receive fair treatment."

_Looking back, I probably should have expected this to happen. Perhaps a small part of me did, and that's why I dragged my feet so much when it came to sending this group to Coruscant._

"Excuses."

"Shut up, Jonery," came a female voice, someone a few cells down. "It's not the Jedi's fault, and we all know it. We were treated properly while her and her men were in our village."

"For all the good that did us," Jonery snapped back. Zelina decided it was best not to engage the contentious one much longer, moving instead to the women who'd spoken.

This one she had a name she remembered to put to her face.

"Ashara—how are you holding up?"

The red-headed woman shrugged, staying in her her spot sitting on a cot. "We've been better. But we know this isn't your fault. Your men's reaction to how we were treated when we landed was answer enough for that."

Zelina nodded. "I'm sorry, again. For what it's worth, I'm going to be trying to get this mess sorted out, okay? I have friends in the Senate who are good people that might be able to help."

Ashara smiled weakly. "I appreciate you trying."

Zelina looked around for someone she vividly remember rebelling against having to put on the transport to Coruscant, looking to Ashara when she didn't see who she was looking for immediately within view. "Is he here?"

Ashara didn't have to ask to know who Zelina was referring to. "He's down near the end of the hall."

"Thank you," Zelina murmured, making her way to the very end of the block, passing over the cells with disinterest until she finally found the one she was looking for.

Inside sat eight-year-old Malachi, picking idly at the wall with a forlorn expression on his face, seated on the ground. Zelina felt a pang in her heart to see the boy locked up, probably included for the move to the maximum security prison despite the fact he was only eight years old.

Zelina leaned against the doorframe, her voice soft. "Hey, Malachi."

The boy looked up, startled to hear the Jedi's voice, but a smile appearing on his forlorn face nonetheless.

"Jedi Du'ahn!" he said brightly, getting up from his spot on the floor and approaching the shield that kept him within the cell. "Did you come to help us?"

 _Bless the young, and their innocence_ , Zelina thought, heart still aching.

"Right now I'm just seeing how everyone is doing, but yes, I'm going to try and help sort out this mess," she said gently, smiling at the boy.

"You will—I know you will. Just like you did back home."

_Back on Ruusan it was an entirely different arena._

"Are you all right?" Zelina asked.

Malachi nodded, his bright mood dimming slightly. "I'm all right. People keep calling us traitors…"

Zelina sighed. "I know. Don't listen to them, all right? You and your people haven't done anything wrong, no matter what anyone says."

"Okay…"

Zelina didn't want to lower his spirits, so she changed the subject. "Hey—when I get you all out of here, maybe I can get you that action figure you wanted."

Malachi lit up once more. "The one of the clone trooper?"

"Yeah, that one—I'll even make sure it looks like a 105th soldier," Zelina said with a smile.

"Do you think you can get one that looks like Cruiser?"

Zelina chuckled. "I'll try. Take care, all right? I'll do what I can to get all of you out of here."

"Bye," Malachi said, a little pitifully, and Zelina gave him a gentle smile before she turned to leave.

As she made her way back passed the Ruusan civilians, Zelina's mind flashed back to the conflict on Ruusan, or rather, right before the conflict. Zelina had treated them much different than this…

* * *

" _Oi! Seppy! I've already caught you thieving, you'd be wise not to give me any lip!"_

_There was a crowd gathering at the spectacle in the Ruusan village street, a young boy sprawled in the dirt path while a soldier with 105_ _th_ _markings on his still-new armor stood over him. In his hand was the now half-eaten ration bar the boy had been caught stealing, a red mark where the soldier's backhand had hit his face hard enough for him to sprawl into the ground._

" _I don't have to show you any respect, you mudlicking wet droid!" the boy shouted back._

" _You traitorous son of a—" the soldier swore, stepping forward to possibly strike the boy yet again._

_He didn't get the chance, as in the next moment he found himself thrown back and sprawled on the ground. At first, confusion was clear on his face while he sat up, regaining his bearings._

_Until he saw the figure that had just pushed her way to the front of the crowd._

" _General!" the soldier said, scrambling to his feet to try and snap to a salute._

_Zelina Du'ahn stepped into the clearing where the scene between the trooper and the boy had been taking place, Gambit and Cruiser on either side of her. Her expression was stormy, fixed on the soldier for a few moments._

" _What do you think you're doing?" she asked._

" _He was stealing, ma'am, from the troops rations. He tried to make a run for it when I caught him," the soldier reported, showing her the half-eaten ration bar. Zelina's eyebrows arched, her tone dangerous._

" _Are you telling me this is over one ration bar?"_

" _No, ma'am, he was trying to make off with more than that—this was just all he could grab when I interrupted him."_

_Zelina looked to Gambit, folding her arms over her chest. "Gambit, is this the same Shiny that you saw harassing some of the locals the other day? The one you were telling me about?"_

" _Yes, General."_

" _Uh-huh…" she said, turning her gaze from the troops to the boy on the street. She kneeled down beside him, eyes drawn to the red mark on his face. "Can I see?" she asked him gently._

_The boy just glared at her, but she took it in stride, looking back to her Commander. "Cruiser, this soldier's rations tonight go to this boy."_

" _What?" the soldier sputtered, shocked. Zelina turned a cold eye on him._

" _I can tell you're new, so I'll explain it this once—I don't condone this sort of behavior in my men. I don't tolerate my men going around harassing civilians because of what government they're under. They are still citizens of the galaxy, and whether they're under Separatist or Republic rule, it is your job to protect them. If I hear anything more about you harassing or abusing civilians, I'm having you sent back to Kamino, are we clear?"_

_The soldier's expression darkened before looking to his clone brothers. They didn't have a spark of sympathy in their eyes—he was the one who'd acted out of line and painted the 105_ _th_ _in a bad light to these civilians._

" _Gambit, make sure he finds his way back to the camp—and he's not allowed in the village anymore. Keep him busy in the camp," Zelina told Gambit, who walked passed her to grab the soldier by the arm._

" _Yes, General. C'mon, Shiny, before you cause any more trouble."_

_As they left, Zelina turned her attention back to the boy. "What's your name, young one?"_

_The boy hesitated, gaze sliding back towards the retreating form of Gambit and the offending Shiny. "Malachi."_

" _Well, Malachi—if you go with Commander Cruiser, he'll get you something to eat," Zelina said, nodding to her Commander as he took off his helmet and kneeled on the other side of the boy, offering him a hand. Malachi hesitantly looked between him and Zelina, almost like he couldn't quite believe they were being so kind after he tried to steal from them._

_Even though he'd only stolen because he was hungry, and he'd rather steal from the invading army than one of the locals._

" _Why are you being so nice?"_

_Zelina smiled at him. "It's my job as a Jedi to protect the citizens of the galaxy before it's my job to be a Republic General. And a citizen is a citizen, whether they claim Separatist or Republic."_

* * *

"General! I didn't expect to see you here."

Zelina smiled at Gambit as she made her way further into the clone bar, coming to stand in front of his table with hands resting casually on the hilts of her lightsabers. "Well, I figured I had some time to kill, and thought why not spend it with the men—those of you that are here, anyway."

Gambit chuckled, taking a large drink. "When are they others coming back from Ruusan, by the way?"

"A few days, maybe? We'll have to celebrate the time off once they arrive."

"I'll drink to that, General!" Gambit thundered, raising his glass before taking another long drink.

Already well on his way to drunkenness, apparently. Oh well, some of the other men looked like they were sober enough to hold some form of coherent conversation. And drunk or not, it was still enjoyable to spend the free time with her men.

And after this, she had to make herself disappear for the night, so no one could point out Anakin hadn't been with her if she had to claim so to cover for his disappearance tonight.


	4. Living Nightmare

The next afternoon, Zelina finally emerged from her hiding spot for the night, her first stop of the day Padme's apartment. She would have come sooner, but she wanted to be sure she wasn't about to intrude upon Padme and Anakin's much needed private time.

But by now, Anakin should have returned to the public eye.

Zelina left her speeder at Padme's private landing pad, looking around the apartment with a shadow of trepidation in her eyes.

The last time she'd been here…had been a frightening night.

She didn't remember why Anakin and Zelina had gone to Padme's apartment that night, not specifically…but she did remember in vivid clarity what had happened when the doors of the elevator opened.

* * *

_Zelina noticed Anakin first. Of course she did, whether she admitted it or not, Anakin always came first for her, no matter the situation. She saw his expression change, from a neutral, slightly bored expression while he waited for the elevator to reach their destination to shock, betrayal, and then unbridled fury. Darkness swirled in and around him, his entire being focused on one thing, and one thing only._

_Padme dipped in Rush Clovis' arms, Clovis closing the distance to claim a kiss from the elegantly dressed Padme._

" _Get away from her," Anakin snarled, arm outstretched with his hand curling in the air as Clovis was lifted off his feet, clutching at his throat._

" _Anakin!" Zelina's alarm rang clear through the apartment. When Anakin didn't immediately put Clovis down but instead threw Clovis against the wall, Zelina reached to stop him, but he'd already stalked into the room, her hand passing through thin air as Anakin ignited his lightsaber._

" _Anakin, no," Padme snapped, fury of her own bubbling in her voice despite the fact she was clearly trying to keep a clear head in the suddenly volatile situation._

" _Why don't you try fighting like a man without your Jedi tricks?" Clovis goaded, rising to his feet with a sneer._

What the hell do you think you're doing, don't encourage him! _Zelina thought._

" _Oh, it would be my pleasure," Anakin derided, tossing his lightsaber aside without a second thought._

_Predictably, Anakin pinned Clovis to the floor with ease. But Zelina wasn't here to watch as a spectator, or to stand by and let it happen._

" _Anakin, enough!" Zelina shouted at him, coming forward closer to the fight._

" _Stop this!" Padme added._

" _You don't have a say in this!" Anakin growled, surprising Zelina further by directing his words towards both women in the room._

_Clovis took Anakin's momentary distraction to kick Anakin off of him, sending Anakin sprawling a temporarily safe distance away. Zelina felt a twinge of contempt towards Clovis at seeing him hurt Anakin, but at the moment, it was not undeserving, and was in self-defense._

" _I thought you said he didn't have feelings for you?" Clovis asked Padme as he got to his feet once more._

_Anakin's feeling of betrayal was potent, Clovis' words striking deep and hard._

_That did not help the situation._

" _Anakin, don't," Zelina cut in, trying to put herself between Anakin and Clovis before Anakin could lunge again. As if Zelina wasn't alarmed—and honestly, a little scared—enough, Anakin shoved her aside, sending Zelina sprawling as he lunged at Clovis, on top of the man in a matter of heartbeats._

" _I see you for what you truly are!" Anakin roared at Clovis, quickly getting the upper hand and starting a merciless barrage upon the man, his metal hand pummeling Clovis unrestrained and most likely inflicting most of the damage._

_Clovis didn't really stand a chance._

_This had gone too far—way too far._

_Padme was horrified at this point, but Zelina…_

" _Anakin, that's enough!" Zelina thundered, raising both hands—and Anakin with the same motion—and tossing him to the other side of the room with the Force, pinning him to the ground. Zelina felt a surge of fresh fury roll off of her friend as he tried to rise up and blindly attack Clovis yet again, but Zelina took another step, shoving her hands forward to slam him flat against the ground, holding him firmly in place. "_ **Enough** _!"_

_Anakin's fiery blue eyes finally locked on Zelina, the anger and betrayal and hatred blazing inside him._

_Until he saw the look on her face._

_Until he saw the light of fear in Zelina's eyes as she held him to the ground._

_Then, he slowly started to come to his senses, looking at Padme next, who was gazing at the seen mortified and rather angry herself._

_After that, the fight seemed to rush out of him, the shame and guilt quick to fill the space the absence of those feelings left behind._

_The conversation—no, argument—that he and Zelina had afterwards was a different matter._

_And for once, she was not on Anakin's side._

* * *

While the entire encounter had been a dark one, and not something Zelina particularly wanted to remember, there had been something good to come out of it.

Zelina ripping into Anakin and standing up for Padme, taking her side in the matter without any hesitation, seemed to have mended the bridge between the two that had been noticeably splintered after Zelina revealed to Padme she'd kissed Anakin twice during the war.

Perhaps it would have been easy for Zelina to further the wedge between them, to try and insert herself into Padme's place with Anakin, but she hadn't. The thought had never even crossed her mind until long after, when she'd reflected on why this horrifying incident had been what saved the friendship she had with Padme.

It would have been easy for Zelina to try and work the incident to her favor, to try and steal Anakin from Padme. Instead, she helped repair and hopefully strengthen their relationship in the aftermath.

But now wasn't the time for those dark thoughts. Now, she was here to see a friend, both for help and to visit with her about her pregnancy.

She still couldn't believe it…

"Ah, Miss Zelina. Mistress Padme will be so glad to see you," 3P0 stated once he caught sight of Zelina, making his way back inside to announce to Padme who had arrived.

Zelina had just made it to the fountain on Padme's veranda when Padme appeared at the foot of a stairway, looking surprised. "Zelina—I wasn't expecting you," she apologized. It looked like Padme was not yet dressed for the public eye—at least not as she usually was.

"I didn't want to interrupt your time with Anakin, but I wanted to talk to you before you headed back to the Senate, as well. Is it a bad time?"

"No, no, you're fine, I just…wasn't expecting visitors," Padme amended, pulling a light robe over her shoulders. "What's on your mind?"

Zelina smiled slightly at Padme, nodding towards her middle. "Well, before we get around to all the business, can I ask how you and the little one are doing?"

Padme's smile was faint as she placed a hand subconsciously on her abdomen. "We're doing just fine."

"How far along are you?" Zelina asked curiously. She didn't know when the last time Anakin and Padme had been together, so she didn't know how far along her friend was.

Plus, she wasn't one of those people who could tell by just looking.

"Second trimester," Padme informed her. "It won't be too long, now."

Zelina felt a small thrill at that—they didn't have long to figure out what they were going to do, did they?

And Anakin…would he leave the Order, or fight to stay? Would Zelina stay if he left?

Now she was starting to see the appeal of not thinking about it yet.

"Well, I'm happy for all of you," Zelina said, her smile growing to a full smile before she sighed. "Anyway, I did come here for a reason."

"Of course," Padme said, taking a seat. Zelina sat across from her, leaning forward.

"Have you heard about the situation with the Ruusan prisoners?" Zelina asked carefully. When Padme nodded, she continued. "This entire thing has gotten way out of hand. I didn't want to take any prisoners in the first place—they were just civilians defending their homes from what they thought was a hostile army. There was sabotage, but once the Separatists started firing on the civilians they fought with us," Zelina started to say, going over the details of her report simply to summarize before asking Padme for her help. However, the look on her friend's face had her stop.

"Zelina, that's not the report that the Senate was given about what happened on Ruusan," Padme said carefully.

Zelina hadn't even really explained what happened, she'd only given a few crumbs of information—important details, but still nowhere near the whole story—and Padme was already telling her this was a new story?

"What was the Senate told?" Zelina asked carefully, keeping her voice even.

"The official report was that there were rebels on Ruusan that the Republic managed to capture, rebels that frequently attacked and sabotaged our army, and gave your location to the Separatists, resulting in numerous casualties and a fight the Republic narrowly won. That those captured were instrumental in nearly sabotaging the attempt to take Ruusan—a campaign everyone knows is important because we need to secure Ruusan before we can clear out the nearby Separatist blockades stopping us from getting vital supplies to our troops."

Padme's eyes narrowed, a spark of frustration appearing in her eyes—not towards Zelina. "What was the report you gave?"

Zelina had to take moment to consciously reign in her reaction to the news, expression souring. "I was very specific when I said we had a few issues with the locals while approaching the village—not anything serious or resulting in casualties, just attempts to slow us down or stop us from coming any closer. They saw a large invading army approaching their village and tried to defend their friends and loved ones. When we arrived, I kept the camp outside the village, and didn't want the soldiers regularly in the village because I didn't want the villagers to feel they were being occupied. We had some thieving problems, and there was sabotage to our equipment from rebels that wanted the Republic off our planet, and yes, someone went and told the nearest Separatist outpost of our presence, resulting in the Separatists attacking us while we were there. However, Separatist droids started attacking civilians to spread me and my men thin, to distract us. After that, the villagers fought with us, rebels included."

Zelina shook her head. "They're just civilians who were trying to defend their home, Padme, they're not soldiers. One of them is a boy, slightly younger than Anakin was when we all met. None of them should be tried for treason or moved to a maximum security prison like dangerous war criminal masterminds, and I protested them being taken prisoner off of Ruusan in the first place!"

Padme rose to her feet, a frown etched on her features as she started a thoughtful pace. "That is a much different image than what was presented to the Senate…" Padme looked back at Zelina. "Who did you give your report to?"

Zelina's expression went from annoyed and sour to dark in a second. "Mas Amedda. They contacted me after hearing from the Jedi Council—who heard from Master Secura, who was the other half of the campaign but separate from my forces per our attack plan—that there had been an issue while advancing on the Capital. Palpatine wanted a report to give to the Senate since there was so much attention on this campaign, and after hearing about rebels, it was demanded the known rebels be taken prisoner and sent to Coruscant. I dragged my feet and bit back about what was happening, but I was backed into a corner and couldn't do anything about it in the end. If I'd known this was going to happen, I would've told Amadda to shove it."

"I don't think that would have gone over so well," Padme muttered, concentration etched into her features. "We have to bring this to light—we can say the report must have gotten lost in translation, and you can make a full statement to the Senate. If we're lucky, that will be enough for them to ease up on the treatment of the Ruusan civilians. They still attempted to sabotage the army, however small, and were the direct cause of the Separatists finding you and your men—they'll latch onto that."

"They're being moved tomorrow."

Padme grimaced. "We won't be able to do anything before then—if this was Amedda or Palpatine, then we're probably going to have to fight through a lot of processes and paperwork sent our way, anything to slow us down. They probably want to throw the Ruusanians to the public to pacify them for a while about this war.

"What, Dooku's death wasn't enough?" Zelina grumbled. She was well aware the public was calling for an end to the war, for results, to be shown the Republic really was doing something, and was placing blame wherever they could.

"On the contrary—with Dooku dead, they want this war over soon. In my opinion…this war should have been over a long time ago."

Zelina sighed. "I know…the poor execution of this war rather disgusts me, but I'm just one of many generals—the only place I've been able to make any difference has been on the field."

"That's why us politicians are here—the ones still doing our job, anyway," Padme said, a note of bitterness entering her voice.

She was probably thinking of the corruption in the government, or even this very issue brought around by Amedda or Palpatine themselves.

"Well…we might as well start fighting our way forward—whenever you're ready. I'll be on standby whenever you need me, but I'll leave the politics to you. You're the expert there. Just…don't strain yourself on my account, please," Zelina added, looking pointedly at Padme's middle.

"I'll be fine—you have your areas of expertise, this is mine," Padme said with a small smile.

Zelina rose to her feet once more, adjusting her Jedi robes so they weren't hanging off her arms. "I'll leave you to the rest of your day, Padme. I just needed some help from a friend."

"Zelina, before you go…" Padme stopped Zelina before she could leave, a note of worry in her tone that immediately caught Zelina's attention. She turned to the Senator with a frown. "Have…you seen Anakin yet today?"

Zelina shook her head. "Not yet, no…why?"

Padme crossed one arm over her middle, the other propped upon it gracefully as her fingers brushed against her lips, her concern becoming clearer every passing second. "I'm worried about him."

Padme officially had Zelina's undivided attention. "What happened?"

"Last night—the middle of the night—I found him out here. He told me he had a nightmare, and despite our talk, he still looked worried this morning."

Zelina snapped to attention, moving to stand in front of Padme, expression serious as she placed her hands on Padme's arms. "What was the nightmare about, Padme?"

Padme was only slightly startled by Zelina's suddenness—being married to Anakin, she had to be used to it to a certain degree. "He said he dreamed that I died in childbirth—that he didn't know what happened to the baby, either."

Zelina's lips formed a small 'o' of surprise, and suddenly, her priorities were shifted.

She knew better than to ignore a nightmare when it came from a Jedi.

But she also had a better grasp on how to handle those nightmares than Anakin.

If Anakin had a nightmare about Padme and Luke that worried him so much, then it was a nightmare they needed pay attention to.

They also needed to approach with caution. Every choice mattered when it came to Luke's future, and the last thing they wanted to do was accidently make Anakin's nightmare a self-fulfilling prophecy.

But Padme didn't need those details—she already had enough on her plate between her responsibilities as Senator and her secret marriage plus a child on the way. Besides, Anakin was the one she had to reassure.

"I'll talk to him—he'll listen to me. I've had plenty of prophetic dreams…and it's me."

"Please? I tried to tell him not to worry about it, but—"

"But that's what Obi-Wan told him when he started dreaming about Shmi, so he's probably not going to take that advice. You don't worry, Padme, I'll talk to him."

"Thank you, Zelina," Padme said with a sigh.

"Of course—I should probably start looking for him now. Who knows where the Jedi have him by now," Zelina chuckled, trying to bring some lightheartedness back to the conversation as she prepared to leave. "I'll actually go now. Take care, Padme," Zelina told her, giving Padme a small smile before making her way back to her speeder.

She felt Padme's eyes on her until she was well on her way towards the Jedi Temple.

* * *

When Zelina arrived at the Jedi Temple, Anakin wasn't in any of his usual haunts. Since there was a report on the general progress of the war in the Outer Rim territories the active Jedi generals in the war momentarily at Coruscant were mandated to attend, Zelina assumed that if she was going to catch him, it would probably be there.

Besides, she could see Obi-Wan outside of that awkward run-in outside of Satine's apartment if Anakin didn't show, catch up with her other friend.

If she hovered around Obi-Wan long enough, Anakin was bound to eventually show.

Sitting in the shadows at the back of the small briefing room, Zelina listened to Obi-Wan deliver the report, watching idly as different planets idled by in holo form around the room, paying attention but also not entirely.

She had a lot on her mind, understandably, such as what she was going to say to Anakin to convince him that he wasn't alone in this, that she could help, that they would find a way to prevent his nightmares from becoming reality if the worst happened, and to keep him from worrying himself onto a self-destructive path.

Her stomach had been churning uneasily every since Padme had told her, her mind going back through the visions she'd had in the past that might have hinted at Anakin's nightmare becoming a reality.

_Don't let me die! Father, please!_

Unfortunately, it was easy to come up with snippets her own past visions that fit that part.

But it was up to them. They had that to hold to—that their choices decided what happened to Luke.

Hopefully, they'd choose right.

Obi-Wan called the meeting to an end, Zelina blinking back to reality and casting her eyes about the room as Jedi shuffled to their feet and started to leave, Obi-Wan shutting off the displays he'd been using.

Still no Anakin.

_Where is he?_

Just as she was thinking of grabbing Obi-Wan to start putting together a search party, the last of the Jedi leaving the room while Zelina remained seated, worrying in her corner, Anakin skidded into the room, looking like he's just stopped running and was consciously forcing himself to slow as he made his way down the stairs to where Obi-Wan stood in the middle of the room.

In his haste to arrive, he missed Zelina musing in her dark corner.

It looked like she would have to catch up with Obi-Wan some other time.

"You missed the report on the Outer Rim Sieges," Obi-Wan announced, not even having to look back as Anakin entered the room.

"I'm sorry, I was held up…I have no excuse," Anakin said pensively. Zelina rose from her seat, making her way down to the floor so she could make her presence known to Anakin and stand with her friends rather than lurk in the background like some criminal.

"In short, they are going very well. Salucami has fallen, and Master Vos has moved his troops to Bos Pity," Obi-Wan informed Anakin. His expression was sober, however, something Anakin of course didn't miss.

"What's wrong, then?" Anakin asked, his gaze sliding to Zelina as she approached, surprise flickering across his face briefly. He must have not been paying attention to the presences nearby, otherwise he would have recognized she was close and wouldn't have been surprised.

"The Senate is expected to vote more executive powers to the Chancellor today," Obi-Wan said reluctantly. Zelina grimaced.

That's all they needed, Palpatine to get more power.

He didn't really need so much to run the war—especially if they were closing in on the dusk, with Dooku dead. They only really needed to get rid of Grievous now, and the Separatists could probably be negotiated into peace after that.

The rest of the Separatist leaders were basically spineless cowards.

Anakin, of course, did not have the same view of Palpatine getting more power as Obi-Wan and Zelina did.

He trusted that smooth-talking snake charmer far too much.

"Well that can only mean less deliberating and more action—is that bad? It'll make it easier for us to end this war."

_It's bad when Palpatine's the one leading the actions. If we had someone like Yoda steering the Senate, then I wouldn't be so hesitant, but with how much power Palpatine's jumped on in such a short space of time…_

Obi-Wan decided to skip the details, settling on a simple warning. "Be careful of your friend Palpatine."

"Be careful of what?" Anakin asked, turning to give Obi-Wan a slightly suspicious look as Obi-Wan started climbing the stairs to leave the room.

"He's requested your presence," Obi-Wan said simply.

_Blast it! But I need to speak with Anakin—it's important!_

"What for?" Anakin asked, following after Obi-Wan. Zelina acted as the caboose, simply waiting for them to finish their conversation so she could try and grab Anakin before running off to Palpatine.

"He would not say."

"He didn't inform the Council? That's unusual, isn't it?"

"All of this is unusual—and it's making me feel uneasy," Obi-Wan murmured, leaving the room with a contemplative look on his face. Anakin was going to follow after him, but Zelina snagged her moment, gently grabbing Anakin's arm.

"Ani, can we talk?" she asked quietly. "Before anyone else snags you?"

Anakin looked like he was about to turn her down, but thought better of it, or at least thought of something he wanted to talk about.

She got the feeling they weren't thinking about the same thing.

"Yeah, we do have to talk," he murmured, looking like he was going to settle for staying in the room they were currently in. Zelina had other plans.

"Not here," she said softly, stopping him from returning inside. "Let's go to the roof."

_That way there's no Temple Security Footage that could catch the conversation we're about to have._

Anakin's eyebrows rose in surprise, his frown deepening. Surprisingly, Zelina felt some frustration from him, though she couldn't imagine why.

Was it because of all the secrecy, or was it something else?

"Lead the way," Anakin said instead of protesting, stepping aside to let her walk in front. Zelina nodded as she passed him, hastily heading into the heart of the Temple before starting their way up.

They hadn't gone to the roof to talk in…a long time. But considering she wanted to talk about Anakin's secret marriage child, she would go the extra lengths to keep the secrecy.

Getting to the roof required some climbing inside that other Jedi would have frowned upon, but while the Temple mostly had a flat roof, there were some spaces that had a mansard style roof, with enough of a gap between the top of the flat roof and the bottom of the mansard roof that they could pull themselves through and onto the roof.

Easy.

At least, it was for them. They'd done this a few times, but like she'd said, it had been a while.

Once they found a hall with no one to ask what in the name of the Force they were doing, Anakin and Zelnia climbed up and through said gap, Zelina feeling a flash of childishness that wasn't unwelcome. It was nice to think back on their youth, to get a flash of the feeling of innocence—as much as she'd ever had—before everything got complicated.

Zelina was atop the roof first, Coruscant's wind strong atop the Jedi Temple's roof but not loud enough they'd have to constantly shout at each other. She offered Anakin a hand, making it easier for him to pull himself onto the roof. Once he was on his feet, he turned to her, a small frown on his face.

"Did we really have to come all the way up here?" he complained.

"Better safe than sorry. I figured you wouldn't want this conversation ending up in security footage, whether anyone ever looks at it or not."

"You mean _you_ don't want it ending up on security footage," Anakin said accusingly.

They were definitely thinking of different things they needed to address.

Zelina sized Anakin up for a moment, considering his irritable mood. "What do you think I dragged you up here to talk about?"

Anakin folded his arms over his chest. "Dooku, obviously. At least, that's what I want to talk about. Don't think I've forgotten what happened."

Zelina sighed. "I see. That's not what I wanted to come up here to talk about, but if you really think we have to, then by all means."

"Yes, Zelina, we have to—you stabbed him in the back like it was nothing and then just walked away!"

"I made a choice, so you didn't have to."

"Excuse me?"

"I know why you hesitated. He was an unarmed man—literally. The Jedi Code forbade us to kill him, but the Chancellor of the Republic was giving you a direct order to kill him. Anakin, I didn't have to be standing across from you to feel the conflict in you. It was palpable, and dangerous."

"So, you broke the Code and killed him because I wasn't sure which to follow, are you seriously giving that as your reason?" Anakin asked incredulously.

"No, I killed him because I could do it with a clear head and no conflict. I carried out an order that was going to happen no matter what so you wouldn't have to. Anakin, you were leaning in a dangerous direction. I killed him so you wouldn't have to risk yourself."

"It wasn't your choice to make, or your kill, for that matter. I was the one who beat him, the Chancellor told me to kill him, and I had more of a right to—"

"Don't give me that, Anakin—you had no more of a right than Obi-Wan or myself, especially once he was disarmed. Again, Anakin, I felt the conflict in you, but it wasn't just Jedi Order or Republic's Chancellor. It was light and dark. Killing him would have been a dark choice in your state…so I did. That way you didn't have to."

Anakin turned to face her, arms still folded over his chest. "You think I couldn't kill Dooku without falling to the dark side?" he asked, his voice a mixture of betrayal and hurt.

"No, Anakin, that's not what I'm saying," Zelina said with a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. Making the decision had been easy. Explaining the decision to Anakin was turning out to be a whole other issue. "I'm not saying killing him would have made you Sith on the spot—I'm saying that with the way your emotions were in that moment, it would have been a step on a dark path. I was just trying to spare you from having to take that step, since I didn't have that conflict happening inside me."

Now Anakin's expression was curious, having shifted towards that emotion with her last sentence. "Why was it such an easy choice for you? Between the Jedi and the Republic?"

Zelina found herself being honest before she had the chance to think. "Easy—it wasn't about either."

Anakin's brow furrowed, and Zelina cursed her careless slip-up before she pushed on, trying to move forward before Anakin got a chance to really think about what she'd just said. "Either way, Dooku's dead now, and there are more pressing matters at hand." Zelina fixed him with a pointed look. "I talked to Padme."

Surprise settled on Anakin's face, followed by a myriad of emotions Zelina could hardly keep up with. Fear, frustration, worry, anger, relief, nervousness…

"She told you, then?"

"She just said that you'd had a nightmare." Zelina moved closer, guiding him towards the edge of the roof and gesturing for him to sit down, the two of them dangling their feet over the edge as they sat side by side. "Tell me," she said gently.

Anakin looked out over the Coruscant traffic, his expression finally settling on forlorn. "I didn't see much…just Padme, her face, anyway. She was asking me to help her, she was crying and shaking, there was a baby screaming, and then she screamed, and it was over."

_So…he didn't necessarily see her die…though I doubt he wants to hear about technicalities right now…even if they make a difference._

Zelina's frown was prominent. "So…you didn't see her die?"

Anakin looked at her with an annoyed expression. "I think what I saw was rather obvious."

Zelina held up a hand in a gesture of peace. "I'm just saying, Anakin, the smallest details can count. If you just saw her in pain then it could have just been complications, not her dying, necessarily. But," she added hastily at his expression, "to be safe we can move forward with what you say. I just wanted to put that out there—it's a thought."

Zelina sighed, looking down at Anakin's hand, subtly clenched in his Jedi robes as he thought over his vision. "You said it wasn't much—it wasn't specific. It sounds like it was fragmented. So this may just be a possible future, it's not set in stone. Padme's perfectly healthy right now, if she continues to be healthy, then it may never happen."

"I'm not going to take that chance with my wife and child's life, Zelina," Anakin said sharply.

"You also want to be careful not to make it a self-fulfilling prophecy. That's the dangerous thing about visions—sometimes acting to stop them is what makes them come true. Haven't we seen enough of that in the past to know that by now?"

"The last time I didn't act on my visions, my mother died, in case you forgot," Anakin said hotly, his anger bubbling up to the surface.

"Never," Zelina said strongly, making sure he saw in her eyes she hadn't forgot, that she wasn't disregarding his opinion and experience. "I'm just saying we should step carefully. Don't…obsess over it too much in case this is one of those situations. In the meantime…I can start researching healing and pregnancies so that if something bad does happen when it comes time for Padme to give birth, we're not unprepared, and we can actually do something about it. Does that sound like a fair trade?"

Anakin didn't say anything, casting his gaze back to Coruscant's traffic. Zelina pursed her lips but kept her patience.

"Anakin, you and Padme are my friends, I care about both of you. And this isn't about just the two of you, it's about Luke, too. But the future isn't something we can head into with a surety, so we must be careful. That's all I'm asking, is that we're careful moving forward. That doesn't mean I'm not going to do everything in my power to help so that nothing bad does happen to Padme when the baby comes."

"What if the worst happens, and you're not there?" Anakin asked abruptly, looking at Zelina with a still somewhat dark expression.

"I'll tell you about what I find so that you know as well," Zelina said confidently.

Anakin had every right to worry, but right now, she needed to try and convince him not to obsessively pursue this, or it would tear him apart. She had to convince him to do this her way.

Anakin swallowed, his vulnerability at the mercy of this vision starting to show as he looked out over Coruscant's traffic again. "I can't lose them, Zelina…" Anakin said softly, pain evident in his voice.

"Come here…" Zelina murmured, pulling Anakin into her arms. She held to him tightly, closing her eyes. "What happened to Shmi isn't going to happen to Padme. I'll make sure your family's safe, Anakin, I promise. You're not alone in this. You have me. Don't ever think you're alone in this. To the very end."

Zelina felt Anakin smile weakly, a strained laugh briefly bubbling up past all the raw emotion coursing through him.

"No matter what."


	5. Deafening Whispers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I now have a Discord account for you to reach me on. For those who don't know, it's both a mobile app and desktop program. I've created a server for readers to talk to me or others about the fictions, or ask questions. I will also post updates on there for my chapters and stories. Here's the link: https://discord.gg/9YsuZky

Once she was no longer being called on by others, and she felt she'd made—almost—all the rounds to everyone she needed to see now that she was back, Zelina took a small moment to breathe. Even then, she wasn't really pausing in her duties, because she was still aiming to get something done in this small space of time she had to herself. After parting ways with Anakin, Zelina went into Coruscant's market district, managing to blend in so she could avoid any unwanted attention from citizens blaming the Jedi for the war. It was a quick trip, as she only left to get a plain Republic Soldier action figure and some purple paint before making her way back to the Jedi Temple. Once she was back among the safety of the Temple's walls, Zelina relaxed, heading straight for the Jedi Archives. She quietly asked Jocasta Nu for information on healing abilities with the Force, keeping her supplies hidden while she waited patiently for the woman to return with the basics.

Zelina didn't have much time to practice with Padme already in her second trimester, but she could at least gain the knowledge and practice while she could. She'd rather prepare herself as much as she could and fall short than come to Anakin empty handed.

When Jocasta returned with some material for Zelina to begin with, Zelina thanked her and retreated to a quiet, secluded part of the archives. There she settled down, reclining in her seat and starting the recording so she could listen while she worked. A Jedi Master long dead began to speak, going over the fundamental basics of healing with the Force while Zelina pulled out the soldier toy she'd gotten in the market and began to paint, taking great care to keep her lines steady and imitate the markings on her Commander's armor.

She'd do some research on pregnancies to help with this specific situation outside of the Temple—she didn't exactly want anyone to catch her researching _that_ , especially if they jumped to the wrong conclusion and thought perhaps she was the one who was pregnant.

That would be quite the conundrum for her to talk herself out of without exposing Padme.

Not caring to even try to keep track of time, Zelina simply reclined in her seat, continuing with her careful paint job and listening to the holo, losing herself in her tasks and absorbing every word that came from the small recording. Eventually she finished her toy project, setting the small purple and white soldier that looked a lot like Cruiser on the table. She'd even taken the time to work on making the paint look scratched and weathered, like Cruiser's actual armor was, as she had plenty of time to pay attention to that kind of detail. After he was finished, she turned her attention to the holo, settling down in her chair and closing her eyes as she started to meditate, allowing her to focus more closely on the instructions she was hearing.

She'd have to see if she could work in some time in a medbay somewhere to help develop her abilities. For now, the lessons were basic enough she could probably just practice on herself.

After listening to several recordings that Jocasta had given her, Zelina started to feel a familiar presence headed in her direction, one she got the sense was probably looking for her. Pulling herself out of her meditative state, Zelina sat up so she could wait for their impending arrival.

Sure enough, a few minutes later Anakin appeared from one of the aisles, taking in Zelina sitting comfortably in her chair with a small holo of some past Jedi Master lecturing on healing techniques. Once she saw him she sat up, pausing the holo so that she wouldn't miss anything.

Anakin glanced at the holo in what seemed like surprise, gaze settling back on Zelina. "I wasn't expecting you to already be…thank you. You're one of the few people being honest with me right now, it would seem," Anakin said awkwardly, coming to a stop a few steps away.

"Of course, Ani—I said I'd do everything I could to help. But I doubt that's why you hunted me down to my quiet little corner," Zelina said with a slight smile.

Anakin's expression darkened, and he made his way to stand across from her. "I just left a meeting with the Council."

Zelina's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "From the look on your face, I'm guessing it was not a good meeting."

"When I went to meet with Palpatine, he told me he was appointing me as his personal representative on the Jedi Council."

Well…that was unexpected. And suspicious. She was pretty sure upon hearing his statement her eyes narrowed, if only slightly, but she kept her suspicions as to the why or possible motivations behind such a move to herself.

"The Council wasn't happy, I'll bet."

"More than that—they accepted the appointment, and while I'm on the Council, they didn't give me the rank of master. It's never happened before in the history of the Jedi, and it's _insulting_!" Anakin fumed.

Zelina leaned back, fingers idly playing with her hair as she carefully weighed her thoughts so she didn't say the wrong thing to Anakin.

"It…hasn't happened before, no," Zelina said, letting her surprise at the situation leaking into her tone for him to interpret however he wanted. "I mean…you're on the Council, and the youngest person ever to be on the Council…but not making you a Master…"

"Completely outweighs the rest," Anakin said bitterly.

"I think…I might be able to see why they didn't give you the Master title."

"Really? Oh, do explain," Anakin stated incredulously.

He'd tensed considerably. She had to be _very_ careful.

"This appointment…didn't come from the Council, it was forced upon them. And I think…if you get really technical about it…it's a Senatorial appointment, it's a position _in the Senate_ , really. You're a representative _for_ the Senate appointed _by_ the Chancellor. Not only that, but the Council doesn't give out Mastery _because_ you're on the Council, they give Mastery because of accomplishments and experience. They've always picked Council Members from people with Mastery, they've never been put in a situation that forces them to take a member regardless of Mastery. Mastery has never come _with_ a seat on the Council, it's just always been possessed by its members _before_ being appointed to the Council. Being put on the Council…never meant you would automatically be made a Master. More so since its more of a Senatorial position than a Council position," Zelina finally finished in a slow, careful voice.

Anakin seemed to be flipping through several emotions, a finger raised as he seemed to be considering pointing at her accusingly. "So you're taking their side in this?"

Zelina shook her head. "I'm not taking a side, I'm trying to come up with a viable reason why you're on the Council without being given the rank of Master. Please don't bite my head off for it," Zelina said patiently.

_Really, if you want to be mad at someone for being put on the Council without becoming a Master, be mad at Palpatine—he's the one who cornered a reluctant Council and forced your appointment before the Council was ready to make you a Master,_ she couldn't help but think.

Thankfully she knew better than to express that opinion out loud.

"It sounds a lot like you're picking their side," Anakin returned hotly.

"I'm not taking their side. Force knows I have plenty of issues with the Council myself, Anakin. I'm just analyzing the situation. I do that sometimes, you know," Zelina said with a sigh, standing up from her seat and choosing instead to lean against the table. She folded her arms across her chest as she fixed her gaze back on her friend. "But that's not the only thing that upsets you about all this…is it? I'd understand you getting upset about this, but…not this much, not without there being more to the story."

Anakin's jaw clenched, teeth grinding together as he looked away, a dark expression flickering across his face.

"Anakin, what else is there?" Zelina asked much more seriously after seeing his reaction.

"Obi-Wan asked me…after the meeting, on behalf of the Council…off-record…to spy on Palpatine," Anakin said, voice low and with strong notes of distaste.

Some poor, lost Padawan rounded the corner at that point, spotting the two serious and renowned Jedi Knights having a clearly private conversation. As both Anakin and Zelina's attention turned to the Padawan gripping a holodisk in a now slightly trembling hand, the Padawan made a small squeak and rushed away in the opposite direction. Zelina reached for the holo she'd been listening to and the toy she'd painted, straightening from her spot leaning against the table.

"This is probably a conversation for somewhere a little more private," she murmured, already walking away. She glanced over her shoulder once to make sure Anakin was following before she continued, leading the way back to her Temple Apartment.

Once they were both inside, Zelina put down her things and gestured for Anakin to sit next to her on the couch in the small living area. "You said the Council wants you to spy on Palpatine?" she asked carefully as Anakin lowered himself into the seat beside her.

Anakin nodded. "They only allowed my appointment because they want me to use my friendship with him to feed them information. They think he's up to something, you'd think with the way they're acting he was a Separatist!"

Zelina's fingers drummed against her thigh as she thought over what she wanted to say. Anakin was close to Palpatine, much to her chagrin. That was why she usually avoided talking to Anakin about Palpatine. Anakin was a stalwart defender of Palpatine, and she hated the man. Which also meant Anakin tended to turn a blind eye on some of the things Palpatine did wrong, while Zelina was painfully aware. Not to mention, she didn't like some of the ideas Palpatine put into his head…

"I don't like that look—what are you thinking?" Anakin asked, and Zelina was pulled from her thoughts with the realization she'd been sitting silently while he waited for a reply. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, knowing he wasn't going to like what she had to say. He never did when it came to Palpatine.

"Well…you know how I feel about Palpatine, so just…don't bite me before I finish talking, please?" she said warily. Anakin scowled slightly but held his tongue. That tended to be their policy when it came to Palpatine.

Zelina splayed her hand on the couch between them, staring down at her fingers and speaking slowly as she put her thoughts on Palpatine and the council in the most receivable form for Anakin that she could muster. "The Council's biggest issue right now…is politics. From what I've seen, every time the Council shows some form of corruption or an issue with its ideals and rules, its because they've been far more focused on bending to the will of politics or far too concerned with what the Republic will think about their actions. Or they're more concerned with making the Republic happy than with doing their job. The Jedi are supposed to focus on the people of the Galaxy as a whole, not just republic citizens—or sometimes politicians. How many times have we been stopped from doing what we felt was right because of politics—or at least someone tried to stop us."

"I appreciate knowing I'm not the only one questioning the Council, but I don't see what that has to do with the Chan—" Anakin started to say, but Zelina held up a hand to cut him off.

"Let me finish. Palpatine putting you on the Council as his representative makes me uneasy, to put it mildly. If politics are what's wrong with the Council, then there needs to be less political interference. Palpatine trying to put eyes and ears in the Council…to me, it sounds like he's trying to take control of the Council even more than it already is, and like I said, politics is what's _wrong_ with the Council. The Jedi were never supposed to be a part of a governing body, they were supposed to be their own separate thing. This doesn't bode well."

Anakin sounded…well, exasperated was one word for it.

"He's not trying to take over anything, he's just trying to end this war as quickly and efficiently as possible _without_ politics muddling the process. If everyone would stop looking for ulterior motives and constantly trying to undermine him—" Anakin started to rant, but Zelina cut him off.

"Anakin, Palpatine is the _Chancellor._ Him trying to get directly involved is almost the _definition_ of politics muddling the process. And he's been doing that a lot lately."

"What are you _talking_ about?"

"Just look at the Republic, Anakin! It's hardly a republic anymore—we're only a step or two away from having a dictatorship!" Zelina returned in exasperation, surprising herself by being the first one to be agitated enough to rise off the couch and start pacing. "The people aren't being heard in the senate anymore—its just one giant mess of personal agendas. Have you talked to Padme or Satine about what's going on in the Senate? Did you already forget what almost happened to Satine and Mandalore when she was trying to keep the Republic from interfering in an internal affair? How everyone ignored her, ruler of Mandalore, and were going to force their way into occupying the planet? Voices aren't forces of change, anymore, they're suggestions largely being ignored. Not only that, but Palpatine—I know you don't want to hear it, but all these emergency powers are far too much power to be placing with one person. And not all of them are even needed anymore. Now, the war is tipping largely in our favor, Dooku's been killed, Grievous is on the run, and instead of power starting to be given back, Palpatine's taking even more control. He should be starting to give power back and getting ready to step down as Chancellor, not taking more!"

Apparently in her ranting she'd struck a nerve, because Anakin rose from his seat and started to make his way briskly to the door. Zelina sighed, suddenly feeling bad for crossing the line to the point she was driving him out of her apartment.

"Anakin…"

"Usually I can talk to you, Zelina. But when it comes to the Chancellor…" Anakin words were biting as he shook his head. "You hate him too much to listen."

"Ani," she said in a much softer voice as the door slid open. It was a small comfort to see he at least paused to here whatever it was she wanted to say before he walked out. "I did listen…and I hate that they've put you in this position. It's not right, and I wish there was something I could do. But the Council aren't the only ones who put you in this situation."

Anakin held still for a moment, his back to Zelina so she couldn't see his face.

"The Council's going to be calling you in, soon. I just thought you should know," Anakin said steadily. With that, he left.

Zelina groaned in frustration once the door shut behind him, collapsing back onto her couch and staring up at the ceiling. As soon as Palpatine came into their conversation, things were bound to go south, and she hated it. She hated Palpatine more, but she hated the rift the topic of Palpatine tended to cause between her and Anakin as well.

And now, with Luke on the way and that darkness she'd been warned of repeatedly looming over them, was not the time for rifts between herself and Anakin.

* * *

After Anakin stormed out of her apartment, Zelina took the rest of the day to calm down and get back on track with everything she needed to do. The Ruusan prisoners were still being transferred and needed her help, researching healing for Padme's sake was a constant goal, she still needed to talk to Obi-Wan, the Council would be calling for her any moment now, and now she was worried about Anakin even more than she had been before their argument.

The first thing on today's menu, however, was to see the Ruusan prisoners. She wasn't going to be able to see them before their transfer, so when she left for the visit, it was to head for Coruscant's maximum security prison.

The thought of Malachi and the others being locked up in the facility still made her disposition instantly sour, but if she was lucky, and Padme managed to work her magic despite Palpatine and his corrupt senate, she might at least get them put back in a regular prison, which would at least be a step back in the right direction.

Coruscant's traffic was terrible with the morning rush, including the route to the security prison, to Zelina's mild surprise. Military vehicles mingled with city and citizen vehicles on both sides, since this was the section of Coruscant that included the prisons and military bases. There was actually a prison transport a few speeders ahead of her, and she wondered briefly if that was just a regular prisoner transfer, or the vehicle holding the Ruusanians.

The maximum security prison was within view when the traffic thickened as they reached an intersection, with Zelina's lane currently possessing the right of way. Her speeder lurched forward from a temporary stop as they moved forward, and up ahead she saw a speeder dip low out of traffic, headed in the opposite direction under her lane. She straightened, trying to see what the speeder was doing as the vehicle came directly underneath the prison transport, jerked upwards—

_BOOOOM!_

Knowing she wasn't going to swerve or brake out of the way of the pile up or the explosion, Zelina dug herself into her seat as well as she could and barrel rolled diagonally, heading down in an attempt to avoid the worst of the plume of flames that ripped through the sky where the prisoner transport was. Once she had straightened her vehicle again and she judged she was a safe distance from the explosion and the speeders that had crashed around it, Zelina took in the sight of the flaming transport plunging towards Coruscant's surface. Battle instincts had Zelina headed towards danger instead of away, and she angled her speeder downwards to chase after the fiery mass.

There was another, slightly smaller explosion as the vehicle impacted with the ground—or what could be considered ground on Coruscant—and Zelina landed her speeder a little ways away, jumping out and shooing away any civilians who were nearby with shouted commands. Still-flaming debris littered the ground all around, debris Zelina sidestepped as she searched the wreckage for any sign of survivors.

She didn't feel anything within the ship—not even the slightest pulse of life. Anyone who had been inside the transport didn't make it. There were a few civilians she could sense pained signatures from in the surrounding area, but the ship itself contained no life.

"Can you stand?" she asked a young man with a soft voice, gently grasping his arm and pulling him to his feet. He was coated in soot with blood running down his head, but looked relatively fine as he gave her a slow nod in reply to her question. "There are other people injured from the crash, can you help me find them all, maybe get them away from the wreck."

The man mumbled something that sounded like agreement, making his way towards a woman lying motionless on the ground and kneeling to check on her. Zelina made her way to the other side of the wreckage, getting anyone who was well enough to help her round up those too injured to do much on their own, bringing them all a safe distance away from the smoking wreckage.

Once she was sure everyone was out of the way, she moved to investigate the destroyed transport. It took her a moment, but after she'd climbed atop the transport—which was lying on its side—she worked on prying open the door to see the death toll inside. It took her a few moments considering the door had been damaged—along with everything else—in the explosion.

With what she'd witnessed right before the explosion, Zelina was positive foul play was involved. Maybe if she knew how many had been killed in a foul play explosion, she could try and get an investigation into the incident bumped higher up on the priority list.

The door opened with a scream of metal that she ignored, bracing her hands on the door and the side of the ship as she stuck her head inside to take in the casualties.

There were a few Republic troops, of course, and the prisoners…were numerous.

And familiar.

Zelina's breath caught in her throat, especially when she saw the smallest burned form that had been thrown to the back of the transport in the crash.

Zelina recoiled as if she'd been stabbed, a hand flying to muffle the cry that tried to escape her as she rolled sharply away from the door, back flat against the still-burning transport. Her breath caught several times in her throat as she tried to fight the anguished reaction that was ripping through her chest, eyes burning.

This transport had been carrying her Ruusan prisoners.

Now they were all dead.

Malachi included.

Because of sabotage.

* * *

Several hours later, Zelina found herself waiting to see the Council, her expression blank, consciously numb, subconsciously furious and impatient to see justice dealt. The Council no doubt wanted to talk to her about something other than the bombing—she was going to go ahead and call it just that, after what she'd seen—since they'd wanted to talk to her before today. Zelina, on the other hand, now had her own agenda to address in this meeting.

Zelina's eyes gazed off at nothing in particular, her expression shifting to a cloudy, far-away look as she rested her chin in her hand, replaying the moments before the explosion in her head. It had been a civilian speeder that had triggered the explosion, and considering they'd purposely swerved out of their lane and collided with the transport, she _knew_ it hadn't been an accident. It had been premeditated, intentional, and attack.

And she was determined to find whoever was responsible.

The doors to the Council Room opened, prompting Zelina to rise from where she'd been sitting, gradually coming back from her thoughts and into the present. Once she'd reoriented herself, she stepped inside.

It was strange seeing Anakin in a council seat, whether she'd already known he'd been placed there or not. She could feel the weight of the worry in his eyes fixed on her—Obi-Wan's as well—but she largely ignored it, instead keeping her attention on Yoda and Windu, since they were basically the heads of the Council.

"Knight Du'ahn," Windu acknowledged as she came to a standstill in the middle of the room. Zelina gave the customary bow, purposely avoiding addressing anyone by the title of Master, since Anakin was in the room and she didn't want to draw any attention to the very detail that irked Anakin the most.

They'd already hit a bit of a snag regarding their relationship she'd have to fix, she didn't want to add another one, no matter how slight.

As she straightened, she spoke up, seizing the brief silence where no one really had the reserved right to speak before her speaking up could be considered rude or they could speak first and she would be required to remain silent.

"If I may say something before we start…I'd like permission to investigate the explosion that occurred today," Zelina requested in an even voice, gaze carefully roaming across the faces of the Jedi Masters she knew fairly well. Windu, Yoda, and Obi-Wan, of course, as well as Plo Koon, Mundi, and Shaak Ti.

"Coruscant authorities determined the crash was an accident, Knight Du'ahn."

Zelina bit her tongue to hold back a snide remark about corruption in Coruscant at Master Kolar's comment, instead choosing to combat the official statement with her own. "With all due respect, Master, I was there—no matter what the Coruscant authorities say, that wasn't an accident. The speeder purposely connected with that transport and triggered an explosion. This was a targeted attack—someone wanted to destroy that transport and kill those prisoners."

"Even if that's the case, we can't grant you permission to investigate," Windu expanded. "This is a Republic matter, not a Jedi one. You will have to take your statement to the Coruscant authorities, so they can launch their own investigation."

"Master, they were _my_ prisoners," Zelina returned in an even tone, trying to keep the displeasure at the turn the conversation was taking out of her voice.

"They were Republic prisoners, charged with treason," Master Mundi added.

"Wrongly accused of treason," Zelina answered almost immediately. She cast her gaze around the room, looking to Obi-Wan and Yoda for back up. From the looks on their faces, even if they believed her amiss, they weren't going to back her. "They were innocent of the severe crimes placed on them by people who wanted to make them a sacrifice to appease the public!"

"I'm afraid that doesn't matter, Du'ahn," Plo Koon said calmly. "It rests in Senatorial Jurisdiction. You can't investigate this unless you are extended an invitation to do so."

Damn politics, Zelina thought, though she took care not to let the thought slip out into the open in the spoken form. Clearly, the Council was rather set on an official decision of _not our problem_ , and she wasn't going to be able to sway that decision. Glancing at Anakin as she hid her disdain and irritation at her request being snubbed, she was sure she saw sympathy and annoyance (aimed at the Counsel, not her) flicker across his face as well.

At least she wasn't the only one. Though Anakin was already upset with the Council, so he might have been annoyed simply on principle.

_That's not giving Anakin nearly enough credit, Zelina. He trusts you, of course he believes you, of course he's taken your side in this._

Right?

He hadn't spoken up to back her. Then again…perhaps he was painfully aware of the fact the Council only let him join to appease Palpatine and get a plant on the Chancellor. Maybe he didn't think his opinion held any sway?

Even then, Anakin tended to speak his mind, and they _had_ just had a falling out of sorts over Palpatine.

She was overthinking this. Anakin wasn't that petty when it came to Zelina—they'd always disagreed about Palpatine, and that had never hurt their relationship before.

Besides, whether the Council backed her or not, she was going to investigate this on her own. She'd just have to be a little more careful since she didn't have Council sanction to do so, and as the Council had said, this was Coruscant and Republic jurisdiction, not Jedi.

When Zelina didn't continue to argue and only shifted her stance, bowing her head to show she acknowledged the Council's decision, they moved on to the reason she had been called to see them in the first place.

"While you're on Coruscant, we'd like you to help train the younglings here at the Temple," Windu informed her. Zelina's eyebrows rose significantly at the statement.

"Am I not going back to the front-lines?" Zelina asked.

"You will, eventually," Obi-Wan reassured her, speaking for the first time since she'd stepped inside. "Your men are finishing up their business on Ruusan. Once they've returned, you'll have a brief reprieve before you're assigned to another campaign."

"Until then, assist teaching the younglings, you will," Yoda added with a hum.

"The war has us spread thin, which means we're short on free Jedi to teach the young ones. Those not fighting in the war, even temporarily, will be needed. Teaching the next generation is just as important as this war," Plo Koon explained.

That was understandable, but considering her record with the Council…

_This isn't about helping to train the younglings, this is about getting me to take on a Padawan. They're so bent on me taking that next step as a Jedi, they're going to throw me in with the younglings in the hopes I'll pick one to train._

But with the way they'd presented the job to her, she couldn't turn it down—they'd asked her to do her part in taking care of the younger generation of Jedi, not to pick one to train.

Great, the political minefield has officially shifted into the realm of the Jedi.

"Of course," Zelina said with a small tilt of her head. "When do I start?"

Zelina felt a soft nudge from Anakin, a trickle of incredulity that she wasn't fighting back. She returned the bump with reassurance. She wasn't turning her back on training Luke, she was just going to satisfy the Council by making them believe she would actually consider picking a Padawan among the younglings they'd put her in charge of.

"In a few days—we'll give you time to learn where they are in their training and come up with lesson plans of your own," Windu told her.

Zelina bowed, and when none of the Masters expanded on her assignment or introduced something else, she took that to mean she was dismissed.

She could feel Anakin and Obi-Wan watching her leave, but she didn't react. If they wanted to talk to her, they'd find her.

Until then, she had things to do.

* * *

"I'm sad to say I'm not even surprised."

Padme, Satine, and Zelina were collectively gathered in Satine's living room, discussing Zelina's current suspicions about what had happened to the Ruusan civilians.

Hopefully they would even be able to talk about what they were going to do about it. Zelina wanted to recruit both women's help, especially since she knew she was going to be getting into some political entanglements if she was going to be investigating something that she had no right to be looking at.

Other than they were her responsibility first, and someone had murdered them in cold blood with the incident in the process of being swept under the rug.

It was Satine who had spoken after hearing Zelina's recounting of the accident, the authority's verdict, and how she'd been blocked from investigating herself. The woman was thoughtfully swirling the liquid in her drink after making her comment, allowing it to linger between the three of them again.

"Zelina…are you aware of what's going on in the senate right now?" Satine suddenly inquired, momentarily surprising Zelina with the switch in topic.

"I've been on the frontlines for a while now, so I don't know all the details…" Zelina said carefully. "But I know Palpatine's only been collecting more and more power, despite the recent turn in the war efforts. And Anakin was just appointed to the Jedi Council as Palpatine's personal representative. If you want me to go into the decline of the Senate since the beginning of this war, I'm afraid we're going to be here for a while."

"Mm, so you are paying attention. Good…I'm afraid not many are, these days," Satine appraised.

Zelina shrugged. "What's going on in the political landscape is just as important as the battles. Especially since the politics tend to influence where the next battle is."

"What was it you told me when you wanted to learn more about politics? 'I don't much care for them, but I should probably at least understand their basics,' was it?" Padme asked.

"Oh, come on, ladies, don't gang up on me now—that hardly seems fair," Zelina said with a faint smile. They ceded in their teasing—for the moment—as Zelina returned to seriousness.

"Someone's trying to cover up what happened to my prisoners. Or to at least bury the incident so there doesn't have to be justice given to them."

"Many people are tired of this war—and more and more lash out in anger every day," Padme said with a sigh. "The Ruusans were people the Republic could actually see punished, Separatist fighters that weren't droids—they were clearly meant to be thrown to the public to appease them a while longer. Justice was never meant to come into play with them…perhaps this was the plan all along. Make the Ruusans vulnerable to attack in public so someone frustrated with the war could act out?"

"And now they're being shielded. The officials won't even admit that it wasn't an accident! There was a _child_ on that transport, and this bombing is being _sanctioned_!" Zelina fumed, struggling to keep her anger from boiling over into outrage. "I don't even recognize the Republic anymore."

Silence followed her announcement, Satine and Padme sharing a look while Zelina stewed in her thoughts.

"What are you going to do about it?" Satine asked. There was no question as to whether she _would_ do something—just what that something was. Zelina wasn't one for inaction—not really. She could wait patiently to determine a better course of action, but inaction as a whole? Never.

"For now, I just want to try and get them a semblance of justice. Which means finding whoever's responsible for that bombing. Or at least understanding what happened in the first place," Zelina answered.

"That won't be easy," Padme remarked seriously. Zelina only returned her worry with a smirk.

"When is it ever?"

She rolled her eyes. "I can see Anakin's been such a positive influence on you."

"Who's to say I didn't influence him, hmm?"

"I hope you're not planning on looking into this alone," Satine stated, setting down her glass.

"What? No. I might be a tad reckless, but I'm not stupid…I was hoping you two would help me," Zelina said softly, looking between the two politicians.

"It won't be easy, but I'll see what I can dig up," Padme answered with a nod.

"My days in the Senate may be waning, but I can still make myself useful," Satine added. "You do your part, and we shall do ours."

Zelina smiled.

"It's a deal, then."


	6. Rumors

Zelina used her first two days of leeway before she had to teach to focus on her investigation into the bombing. She was working with limited resources, since the Coruscant Authorities had brutally shot her down when she went with the request to give a statement to give them a chance to reopen the investigation and do it right. The brisk and almost heated conversation boiled down to an excuse that the case was already closed and they didn't need to be digging into it, even though Zelina told them she'd been right behind the transport and had seen something entirely different than an _accident_ occur. Without the backing of the Jedi or the Coruscant Authorities, Zelina was forced to go back to the crime scene and try to find anything the authorities might have missed. She didn't have access to anything the authorities had found, either—or anything they might have taken to bury or destroy, as Zelina was ready to suspect at this point. She could interview witnesses, but there were billions of beings on Coruscant, and she wasn't sure the hospitals would willingly give out patient information so she could find anyone injured in the bombing to unofficially ask questions.

At least she had Padmé and Satine talking to their Senatorial contacts. Padmé had suggested that they try to make Senators aware of the reality of the situation, and try and garner enough support that another investigation would have to be opened. Zelina hadn't heard how that plan was going, yet, but she was hoping there were enough good Senators Padmé knew to tip the scales a little more in Zelina's favor.

Satine, meanwhile, was using her contacts to try and see if she could dig up any rumors about someone taking a bombing job. Zelina didn't know where the woman got her sources, but Satine knew how to use them, and if it worked and she did find a lead, Zelina would be quite pleased.

Now, however, she had to spend her time elsewhere. She had a friend to help, and now a class to teach. Which meant she was going back to the archives to see what other information she could dig up that might be helpful for Anakin and Padmé, and she needed to figure out what she wanted to impress upon the young minds of the Jedi Council.

She'd also have to be careful about that. She had…shifted, on her stance regarding the Jedi Order, and while she felt her recent change had not yet been noticed, she would like to keep it that way. Even going gray was enough to get someone kicked out of the Order, if there was enough of that darker pigment in your choices. She also needed to stay, because there was still stuff she could learn in the archives, and people she needed and wanted to protect and support.

So her lesson plan would need more care put into it than most Jedi so she could avoid drawing attention. Best to play it safe with her lesson plans then . . .

Zelina stopped halfway down the aisle she was in—history, passing through on her way towards the meditation section.

_Curious . . ._

Zelina let her hand move of its own accord, letting the whispers of the Force currently tickling her senses guide her hand.

Old Republic history . . . a good couple millennia before present day Republic . . .

Grandmaster Satele Shan.

_Okay . . ._

Not about to question the Force, despite the fact she couldn't see how Grandmaster Shan would possibly pertain to either of her current needs, Zelina took what information was available about Grandmaster Shan, or anything she'd dictated.

At this rate, she was going to need a bag for all the holos she was going to be taking. Did she even have time for this much reading and research?

She'd take them, like she was prompted to, but she couldn't guarantee she'd get around to reading much about Satele for now.

Her priorities were elsewhere.

* * *

It had been months not only since Obi-Wan had seen Zelina, but even longer since he had the chance to really speak with her. After all that had happened in that space of time—Ahsoka, Fives, Ruusan, Anakin being put on the Council—it was about time they sat down and _really_ talked to one another.

He knocked gently on the door to Zelina's apartment, waiting until he heard her call of, "Come in," before he tried the now unlocked door. As he stepped inside, Obi-Wan spotted Zelina sitting on her living room couch, the coffee table pulled close to her with holos and datapads spread across the table. As he came closer, he could make out the subject of some of the mass of materials—lightsaber techniques, Grandmaster Satele Shan, and the holo she was shutting off was one over healing techniques somewhere between the beginning and intermediate level.

"Busy day?" he asked.

"You could say that," Zelina murmured, her attention only partially on Obi-Wan as she tidied up her mess and set most of it aside. "What do you need?"

Obi-Wan settled himself into the seat next to the couch, watching Zelina carefully. "I wanted to check on you. It's been a while since the two of us talked, and I know there's a lot going on with you right now. Especially after what happened with the Ruusanians."

A dark look flickered across Zelina's face, snuffed out before it could fully settle into her expression and gain a more defining emotion…like anger. Yet despite the brief flash, she remained overall calm and composed. It only served as more evidence for the suspicion that Obi-Wan had been nursing since Ahsoka left the Order.

"Yes, well…it's just another example of how far to an extreme the Republic has gone," Zelina murmured, leaning back in her seat.

He wasn't entirely sure he liked the sound of that. He knew there was corruption in the Republic, it was hard to miss. But with Zelina talking about the Republic shifting to an extreme…she had to be careful with that kind of talk. Rumors might fly, and people might start pointing threatening fingers.

"And what extreme are you referring to?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Just look at what's going on right now. The Coruscant Authorities are fixated on not re-opening the case and won't even let me give a statement on what I saw, the Council won't grant permission to investigate because it doesn't want to step on Republic toes, and no one cares that a transport full of civilians and troops was bombed. There was a child on that transport, a little boy, not to mention the families the others had, and no one cares. They all want to sweep the matter under the rug, some even add on a 'good riddance' for good measure." Zelina sighed once she was done with her small rant, running a hand through her hair and watching idle strands fall into her face. "The sad part is, it's not the fact that it's happening that surprises and bothers me—it's how blatant it's become, and how little everyone seems to care. Not counting the rare few that agree with me."

"It's the way of the galaxy, little one," Obi-Wan said gently.

"Not to this extent. And normally this much effort isn't put into burying this kind of an incident without reason. Normally I'd at least be humored, and then the case would get lost in the system as larger priorities came and the investigation was given to someone who didn't care until it had to be set aside for another. Any inquiry or suggestion or new evidence is shut down on the spot. It's like the incident is taboo."

"You're not going to leave this alone, are you?" Obi-Wan observed. He wanted to advise her against doing so, simply because if this issue was being covered up with so much effort, she might find herself stepping in more than she bargained for, and he didn't want to see her get hurt. At the same time, he didn't want to lend himself to the problem.

"I'll spare you the answer to that, since you're on the council. What's the saying, again? What you don't know won't kill you?"

"Yes, that seems to be a proverb that's applied quite often between Anakin and myself," Obi-Wan mused.

Zelina shot him a pointed look, eyebrows raised. She didn't say anything, but there had been much communicated between the Jedi (Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Zelina specifically, sometimes with Satine and Padmé as well) that couldn't be said in words, or could only been acknowledged in looks. There was a glaring issue in the application of that proverb between Anakin and Obi-Wan, one that both Zelina and Obi-Wan were aware of, though Anakin most likely wasn't (Considering how much he tended to miss, despite being a smart man).

The problem with that saying was that Obi-Wan already _knew_. He just chose to ignore and look the other way, in more than one instance.

"Speaking of Anakin," Zelina suddenly said, Obi-Wan noting the fact that she subtly shifted the topic of the conversation away from herself. "He told me about the Chancellor—both the appointment and the mission from the Council."

Obi-Wan couldn't keep the flash of displeasure off of his face, though Zelina didn't appear phased by the disapproving look that was meant more for an Anakin that wasn't even in the room than for Zelina herself. "That was supposed to be a secret, off the record assignment," Obi-Wan chided while Zelina rolled her eyes.

"Please, you've known us long enough to know that if you tell Anakin, you tell me, too."

"One would think there would be _some_ secrets between you two."

"To my knowledge, Anakin doesn't keep secrets from me."

"And you?" Obi-Wan said, giving her a pointed look of his own. Zelina immediately went on the defensive.

"I don't keep secrets. He just…fails to notice or pick up on some things."

"Well, he's been failing to notice things since you were teenagers, if that's the case."

Zelina turned indignant. "I am _not_ that obvious!"

I beg to differ, Obi-Wan couldn't help but think, and from the look she gave him, his thoughts were clearly displayed on his face. "It's hard to miss. Unless you're Anakin, of course."

"Yes, well, his attention tends to be elsewhere, so I stopped being surprised a long time ago." For a moment, she looked like she was going to sulk, but she shook off whatever feeling was plaguing her before she could be dragged down too much by her mood. "But that's beside the point. I want to know why the Council is putting him in this situation in the first place."

"You're starting to sound like Anakin."

"Why, did he point out that him and Palpatine are close—despite how much the rest of us don't like the two of them being close—and his relationship with the Council is strained, and Palpatine always digs his little barbs in and causes rifts and doubts and issues?" Zelina asked almost bitingly.

"He pointed out that it's against the Jedi Code to commit treason and spy on the Chancellor, who _is_ a mentor and a friend to him. But he doesn't view the Chancellor in the same light as you, so his point was a little different."

"As much as I… _strongly dislike_ Palpatine, and I never think he's up to anything good, I don't think it was smart of the Council to put Anakin in this position. It's just asking for something bad to happen, and it's hurting him. He'll do it because the Council asked him to, but he's not going to like it. He may even admit to Palpatine he's playing double agent, reporting on the Council to him and reporting on him to the Council."

"He's never let me down before, he won't do so now," Obi-Wan said firmly, echoing what he'd told Yoda and Windu when Yoda departed for Kashyyyk.

"Anakin also has a tendency to do the exact opposite of what's expected of him," Zelina pointed out. "But I'm not the one you should be telling that to. Anakin's in a tough position right now, and he was already under…stress, before the Council put this position on him. He needs a friend from you more than he needs the Teacher Obi-Wan. It might help knowing he has you in his corner considering his sense of betrayal has been put through the wringer repeatedly recently…and you might want to stress your support is unconditional."

There was a lot to unpack from that statement, but Obi-Wan went with the part that caught his attention first. "What stress? Besides the war, I mean."

Zelina hesitated, looking like she regretted saying something. "It's…not for me to say."

Something personal, then. Most likely regarding Senator Amidala.

"Zelina, you can't make a statement like that and then refuse to give me something more to work with," Obi-Wan said with a frown.

"Yes, well, you know how much I care about having Anakin's confidence, and considering we already got into a bit of a spat over Palpatine, I'm not about to tread on his toes. Go ask him if something other than the Council and the war and Palpatine has been on his mind…and other than _me_ , too, since I'd like to think he's been reflecting on our argument with some regret as well."

"You two always make up after a fight, I wouldn't get too stressed out about it," Obi-Wan said in an almost flippant tone of voice. He didn't want to come across as insensitive to her worry, but it was the truth—the rare times Zelina and Anakin got into a true argument, they tended to be quick to make up. Either because they realized the fight had been petty or they hated getting into a fight with one another more than they disagreed over whatever had caused the argument. He wasn't too concerned about this time being any different.

"Yeah but we also usually avoid the topic of Palpatine because it's one we've never agreed on," Zelina murmured.

Deciding he didn't want to lower her spirits with the current topic choice, Obi-Wan switched tracks once again.

"I'm assuming you're preparing for your first youngling lesson," he remarked nodding to the mess on her coffee table.

"Some of it is, yes. The rest is for me."

"You're picking up healing?" Obi-Wan asked curiously. Surprisingly, Zelina's expression turned grim.

"Yes…I'm finding it might come in handy some day soon." Obi-Wan wasn't oblivious to the fact that there was a lot hiding behind that statement, but she asked him another question before he could inquire what she meant. "The Council is trying to push me into taking on a Padawan again, aren't they? With having me teach the younglings."

Obi-Wan gave her a semi-apologetic look. "They are, yes. It's about time, though. You're ready to take on a Padawan—like I told Anakin, it's an important step in your growth as a Jedi."

"Yes, but I already know who I'm going to train."

"This Luke you keep seeing, so I've heard. But you don't know when he'll find his way into your path, and if you start teaching the younglings, your far more likely to find him. If you keep resisting actively looking for a Padawan learning, you may never find him."

Obi-Wan could tell she was holding back on saying more, choosing to instead look at the coffee table instead of him.

"I still don't appreciate being shoved into this position. It's my decision to make, and I'm all too aware that when a couple years have gone by and I still haven't chosen a padawan yet, the Council is going to start to get…impatient."

"You'll figure that out when you get there," Obi-Wan assured her. "Maybe by then you'll have seen him, and you'll be able to point him out and say _that one_ even if he's just barely entering the Order."

"Careful, or I might be plucking a boy out of the crowd on his first day and claiming him," Zelina chuckled, trying not to fall apart laughing at the mental image of claiming Luke as her future student as soon as he passed the threshold of the Temple.

"At least you'll finally have someone officially claimed as your Padawan learner," Obi-Wan said with a shrug. A pillow zipped off of the couch and into his face, causing a disgruntled but muffled sound to escape him. "Now, Zelina, you know better than to abuse the Force for petty reasons," he scolded as he placed the pillow behind him.

"Maybe so, but I'm a Knight now, and if I wish to pettily throw a pillow at a misbehaving Master with the Force, then I'll do so," she returned with a smirk. The smile faded slightly from her face. "But in all seriousness…do go see Anakin. He needs the support right now, and it might help if he heard you say _out loud_ that he has yours."

"He knows he does."

"It helps if you say it out loud every now and then. For those times when Anakin worries and inevitably starts to doubt."

Obi-Wan nodded. "I'll talk to him."

"Thank you."

"Though you should know the same support applies to you, too."

Zelina's gaze flickered back up to Obi-Wan, the surprised look on her face fleeting, but enough to sadden Obi-Wan, though he hid it well.

Zelina spent so much of her time worrying over others, she tended to forget that others worried for her. Or that her problems were just as valid. Selflessness to a fault. It was likely what had cost her Anakin's more…personal attentions.

It was not lost on Obi-Wan that part of the reason she supported a relationship between himself and Duchess Satine was her own missed opportunity with Anakin. She didn't want Obi-Wan making the same perceived mistake she had made.

Though Obi-Wan was a stricter follower of the Code than Anakin and Zelina…but her pleas after she'd nearly given her life to rescue said Duchess had made an impression he had not forgotten, nor had they been ignored.

And though it had not progressed to their degree, Obi-Wan was far better at hiding it than Anakin, the Senator, and Zelina.

* * *

"Form Three."

"Soresu."

"Form Five."

"Shien. Djem So."

"Two."

"Makashi."

"Seven."

"Juyo. Vaapad."

"Four."

"Ataru."

"Six."

"Niman."

"One."

"Shii-Cho."

"Again, and this time with their nicknames. Form Five."

"Shien. Djem So. Way of the Krayt Dragon."

"Form Two…"

Zelina paced the front of the room slowly, her gaze roaming over the younglings currently under her tutelage and answering her randomized calls of lightsaber Forms with their descriptions. They had been studying the textual information of the forms, but not to any serious depth yet. For now, Zelina wanted them to be able to name the seven forms and recount if it was meant as offensive or defensive, focused on blasters or lightsaber combat, or even combinations of both.

She felt they had already grasped this basic by now, which meant that she'd be able to move on to more detailed studies of each of the forms in her next classes.

On the far side of the room, the door opened, though the initiates didn't turn their attention away from Zelina at the front, even as her gaze flickered over to see who had entered the room. Anakin stood in the shadows three paces behind the Tholothian Naa'mada, whose face was too scrunched up with concentration to even notice his entrance. He had a small smirk on his face as he watched Zelina give her brief orders to the initiates, almost immediately met with an accurate response. She wasn't entirely sure if she liked the smirk he wore, unsure if it was meant to be teasing or something akin to pride.

Once they had finished running through their current verbal exercise, Zelina finally came to a stop in the center front, nodding to show her approval of her students' progress.

"That will be all for today. I want you all to study the seven different forms between now and our next class. Be ready to describe a characteristic of one of the forms at the start of the class. And don't simply choose one characteristic and ignore the rest, because I will not be accepting repeat characteristics, you have to give one different from someone else, so know your forms in case someone says your chosen characteristic first."

Zelina spoke over the shuffle of little feet as the younglings all filed out of the room, some of them visibly startled to turn and see Anakin lingering in the doorway. Zelina had to stifle a smile at the sight, moving to gather the holo materials she'd used during her lecture as Anakin made his way towards Zelina.

"Lightsaber forms? Interesting first lesson choice," Anakin commented. She turned to face him, ignoring his proximity as she moved around him to put her stuff away.

"I figured it's a nice…neutral place to start. It doesn't get into any tricky politics and spares me having to go into Jedi rules I may not necessarily agree with. It saves me from running into any conflicts of interest with the Council."

"You have a point," Anakin admitted. "But it only makes me wonder even more why you agreed to teach in the first place."

There it was. She knew there was a reason he'd come to see her, a point he'd cut right to without much beating around the bush. Part of her had hoped they'd be making up for their fight…

"I agreed to get them off my back. I still have every intention of waiting for Luke. I just figured if they think I'm at least looking, I won't have to worry about being hounded by the Council in the meantime," Zelina said pointedly. "Why, did you really think I was going back on training Luke?"

Anakin had the decency to look somewhere between embarrassed and ashamed. "No, I just…well, I wasn't expecting it. I assumed you'd just say no to everything until Luke came, so when you said yes…it just made me wonder…"

"You should know me better than that, Ani. I keep my promises," Zelina said softly. "I know sometimes our…viewpoints clash, but you know I'm always going to have your back. You always have my support, and I'll also do what I can to help whenever I can."

Anakin's eyebrows rose slightly at her statement. "You've been talking to Obi-Wan, haven't you?"

Now it was Zelina's turn to look slightly startled. "Perhaps, but before I agree with whatever you two talked about, what did he say?"

Anakin's eyes narrowed. "He came by with a strong reminder of his support. No context or anything, just a short, ' _I believe in you and support you_ ,' speech that I was not expecting."

"Hmm, yeah, I might have prompted him that it doesn't hurt for him to not only occasionally show, but tell as well, sometimes. I'll admit to some nudging on my part, but that doesn't make what he said any less genuine."

"What did you say to him?"

The demand that resonated in the question sent an alarm bell off somewhere in Zelina's brain, but she ignored it in favor of retaining her composure and looking Anakin in the eyes. "Nothing compromising. I'm not stupid, Anakin, but neither is Obi-Wan. We're your friends—we know when something's wrong, and Obi-Wan sees far more than you think he does. Sometimes you don't give him enough credit."

She had started to walk past him, but paused, laying a hand on his shoulder. "If it makes you feel better to hear it, though, I didn't run off telling him about you and Padmé. That's never going to be for me to tell. Though he is well-aware that you two care deeply for each other, and it won't be that much of a leap for him to realize you're under some stress regarding Padmé right now, on top of everything else."

Zelina let her hand drop away as Anakin turned to face her. "It's not your business to even hint about what's going on between Padmé and me to Obi-Wan."

"Which I didn't," Zelina returned sharply. She didn't like him questioning whether he could tell her things in confidence, even a little—it made her uneasy. "We were talking about recent events, your appointment as the Chancellor's representative being one of those things, and I mentioned you were under stress already before the spying assignment. I didn't say anything about that stress being about Padmé. I'm just saying Obi-Wan is smart and will probably be able to eventually come to the conclusion that stress has to do with Padmé. Again, Anakin, you give him too little credit. You act like he'd turn you in to the Council in a heartbeat—"

"He would!"

"He wouldn't," Zelina corrected flatly. She studied Anakin for a moment, a sad twist downwards curving her lips. "Do you really think so little of him?"

"Do you really think so little of how highly he holds the Order and the Code?" Anakin returned just as bluntly as before.

"He's overlooked a lot when it comes to us already. I like to think we're an exception when it comes to Obi-Wan."

"I don't let myself entertain the luxury. Zelina—" Anakin placed his arm out in front of her to halt her from walking out of the classroom. "I trust Obi-Wan, I do. But not with this. I can't afford to be wrong, because if he wouldn't overlook me and Padmé, and I told him, it would mean the end of everything. Don't tell him. Don't even hint at it."

Zelina let Anakin's plea hang in the air for a moment, holding his gaze for the entire stretch of silence. "I already said it would never be my secret to tell…I didn't realize you thought so little of _me_."

She moved to leave, but Anakin grabbed her wrist before she could.

"Zee, wait, wait, it's not—it's not that I don't trust you, I do. You know I do. It's not you I'm worried about, it's Obi-Wan. I know I can trust you—"

"It doesn't sound like that, considering you're so worried about me exposing your marriage to him."

"Not intentionally. I just…I know how highly you regard him and I just…I don't want you to…to accidentally place the wrong trust with the wrong person."

_THAT'S RICH!_

The thought roared to the forefront of her mind so quickly she was surprised she didn't say it out loud. Thankfully she didn't, considering that would have only sparked another argument.

"I won't if you won't," she settled for saying instead, skipping past the accusatory part of her thoughts.

Anakin, however, was well aware of who she was inadvertently suggesting to be careful of putting too much trust in, since he stiffened slightly. "That seems fair enough," he said, releasing his grip on her wrist.

If he was going to tell her to be mindful of someone she deeply trusted, she could tell him to do the same for someone he trusted.

Though personally, Zelina felt like Obi-Wan wasn't the one to be worried about and subsequently distrusted.

Zelina made her way out of the room, Anakin following close behind.

"Have you found anything? To help?" Anakin asked, gaze flickering towards a passerby as he spoke.

"I spend a few hours studying healing every day, now, and I've been cross-referencing my studies with…her condition," Zelina said carefully, being far less conspicuous than Anakin as she ignored anyone they walked by as their conversation continued.

"Yes, but do you have something to save her," Anakin said in a low, terse voice. Zelina's gaze flickered towards him.

"Ani, we don't even know what specifically is _possibly_ going to go wrong. The best I can do is prepare for anything, which is what I'm doing. Besides, that's how I'd prefer it—to prepare for a variety of instances rather than one and end up caught off guard."

"I need a guarantee she'll be all right."

"I can't give you that, Ani, not without knowing more. I'm sorry. For what we know, this is the best I can do."

Anakin stopped her, pulling her to the side in the shadows of the temple where they could be unobserved.

"Zee, my dreams are getting worse," he said, voice serious and eyes pleading. Zelina softened under his gaze, heart panging with sympathy for his plight.

"I promise I'm going to do everything I can to help, Ani. I'm not about to stand idly by and let something bad happen to Padmé," she said gently, putting a hand on his arm. "In the meantime, you do your part by making sure Padmé's staying healthy right now—prenatal care and all that, doctor checkups with someone she trusts. We'll get through this, okay? You just need to put a little more faith in us, and remember the future isn't as certain as you're treating it right now."

"I can't lose her, Zee," Anakin said softly.

"And you won't. Trust me."

"It's not you I don't trust."

Zelina gave him a weak smile, squeezing his arm in a gesture of comfort and reassurance. "I actually have to go talk to Padmé now. I'll talk to her about being more careful, at the very least for the sake of your sanity."

"Thank you…for doing all this for us," Anakin said, stepping away so that she could continue her path and get to Padmé's.

"Of course, Ani. It's what I do," she said with a small smile before making her way to her apartment on her own.

* * *

"Mistress Amidala has company at the moment, but you are welcome to wait for her."

Zelina stepped off the turbolift and into Padmé's apartment at Threepio's request, drawing her cloak around herself as she stood off to the side. "I can do that, Threepio, I don't mind waiting," she said softly, knowing that voices carried between the lobby and the main sitting room of Padmé's apartment.

She could hear the distinct voices of both Padmé and Bail Organa inside, perhaps even Mon Mothma, but she made it a point not to pay much attention to what was being said, wanting to give Padmé her privacy. Threepio made his way back to the sitting room to announce Zelina's arrival, and Zelina turned her attention to the lobby's décor while she waited.

Once Padmé was aware of Zelina's presence, Zelina didn't have to wait long for whatever meeting she'd stumbled across to come to a swift end. Bail Organa and Mon Mothma appeared around the corner with Padmé following them into the lobby. Upon seeing the other two senators, Zelina gave a respectful half-bow and a nod.

"We'll see you at the meeting, then?" Bail asked Padmé, turning just shy of the turbolift to address her.

"You will. Until then, Senators," Padmé said politely, and the two promptly left without another word. Zelina turned to Padmé, eyebrows raised slightly.

"Important Senatorial business, then?" she asked, falling into step beside Padmé as the woman started back towards the living room.

"Of a sort," Padmé returned evasively.

Secret important Senatorial business, then. "I'm sorry to have interrupted."

"It's all right. I assumed you came about the investigation Satine and I have been conducting for you."

"Among other things," Zelina admitted, taking a seat on the couch. "Though by all means, I'd like to hear what the two of you have been up to while I've been youngling teaching and doing some personal study."

"I'm afraid we've only found resistance, mostly," Padmé said grimly as she sat across from Zelina. "Some I would ask for their support, but they have…other matters weighing on them regarding the Senate and the Republic. The rest either don't want to get involved, or they seem to be actively trying to halt any investigations."

"Let me guess, some have gone so far as to say let the Separatist scum dissolve into the background, forgotten?"

"Some were a little more colorful with their words, but yes. Before you ask, none of them seemed to be the mastermind behind the incident. Though when we looked into submitting a formal request…there was a lot of red tape keeping us from doing what we needed to and the forms were piling up more than normal."

"You think someone high up in the Senate is involved, then?"

Honestly, Zelina's mind immediately jumped to Palpatine. She could see the serpent sacrificing the Separatist innocents to appease his increasingly disgruntled Republic.

"I can't say anything for sure, but its starting to look like it. There's also something else…"

Zelina didn't like how uncomfortable Padmé suddenly looked. Whatever this other thing was, it had to be bad. "What is it?"

"Our investigations have garnered notice, including your own actions with the Coruscant Authorities. They know that you're pushing to open an investigation, and they're not reacting well, to say the least. There's starting to be whispers that you might be a Separatist sympathizer."

Cold flushed through Zelina, a flash of panic flickering through her systems. Separatist sympathizer. That was a dangerous thing to be branded as these days—it could quickly turn into charges of treason. And considering she wasn't on the best of terms with Palpatine, he could possibly jump at the opportunity. Normally she could be reassured by being in the jurisdiction of the Jedi Council, not the Senate, but after what happened to Ahsoka, she had next to no confidence with that. She had people who knew her who would stand by her, but that wouldn't necessarily be enough against rampant accusations if somebody fanned the flame.

_Calm. Center yourself. Don't panic yet. Padmé said they're just whispers right now, not yet rumors, only in the Senate, there's not people in the Order whispering that so you have Order protection now. And it's unfounded. Just watch your step, be careful moving forward, and you can avoid this._

"That is worrisome…but I'm not going to panic over it, either," Zelina said carefully. "I appreciate the help you've given me so far, but if kicking up dust is starting to attract that kind of attention, I'd rather you and Satine not get involved in this as well."

Padmé's eyes flashed, a look of indignation crossing her face. "If you think I'll just stand by while you're pressing further into this mess—"

"You have enough to worry about between what's happening now in the Senate and the future of you and Anakin. I can handle this. If I end up in a bad spot, then I'll ask for help again, but until then, I'll continue on my own. We don't need one of the few good Senators left in the Senate being labeled as a Separatist sympathizer."

She had a point, though Zelina also had the sneaking suspicion she'd still end up hearing about Padmé continue to look into the explosion and the politicians that might be involved. Before the woman could have the chance to argue, Zelina continued by bringing the conversation into an entirely different area.

"Speaking of you and Anakin, how's the little one doing?" Zelina asked, nodding towards Padmé's well concealed middle.

Padmé's hand fluttered over her abdomen. "He's moving around quite a bit—he's definitely a feisty one."

"Like his parents," Zelina commented with a smirk. "He?"

"Anakin seems quite adamant that it's going to be a boy for some reason."

Zelina muffled a laugh, giving a slight nod before she sobered. "Anakin's still worried. From what he told me, his nightmares are only getting worse."

Padmé's expression grew worried as well, the hand on her abdomen turning protective. "You think it's truly something to worry about, then?"

"I think that Anakin is getting premonitions, but I'm also worried that it may be self-fulfilling, one that could come true if he hyper-fixates on it. And considering it's Anakin, he will, even with the warning that doing so could bring it to pass. I told him to leave the precautions to me. After talking to him, I've been doing a lot of studying with healing and pregnancies, just so if something _does_ go wrong, we're prepared. I'm hoping that if he feels we're adequately prepared for the worst-case, he won't fixate on his dreams, and it won't ever happen. Though it would put his mind at ease more to know you were in peak condition. Doing all your prenatal care, regular checkups with a doctor you trust and such. At least to put his mind at rest."

Padmé sighed. "I told him not to worry—"

"And when has that ever worked on Anakin? He needs this, Padmé."

Padmé nodded. "I'll do what I can to help ease his mind."

"Thank you. I'm worried about the stress he's under, and if we can ease that burden just a little…"

Padmé rose to her feet, coming over to stand beside Zelina and putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "He's lucky to have you, Zelina."

_If only he'd listen to me a little more._


	7. Fire Grows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget I now have a discord where you can chat with me and others about the fanfictions, ask questions, and get updates! Here's the link: https://discord.gg/HVaYPb

_Force Forsaken politicians and their agendas and soulless, heartless, vile—_

Zelina made sure to keep her current train of thought well-contained, sulking out of the office of yet another senator who had refused to hear her out about the bombing—or, as everyone kept insisting, the _accident_. She was starting to grow accustomed to being thrown out of offices.

It also didn't escape her notice, despite her fuming, that her mere presence was drawing unfriendly stares and causing whispers.

Perhaps she'd pushed the subject too much for too long…maybe it was time to back off. As much as she hated to let down Malachi and the others who'd been killed in the crash, she wouldn't be any good to anyone if she ended up branded as a Separatist Sympathizer or charged with treason.

Right now, she was on the fast track for exactly that to happen to her.

Zelina ignored the unfriendly looks being thrown her way, making her way towards the nearest exit where she'd parked the temple speeder. The trip made her self-aware of the hot water she'd voluntarily put herself in, and while she was aware of the danger it put her in, she was determined not to allow it to bother her—or make her paranoid.

It was a noticeable relief when she was no longer under the shadow of the Senate building, relaxing noticeably as she made her way towards her speeder.

Only to notice that someone was standing beside the speeder waiting for her.

For a moment, Zelina was braced for trouble, for some hire of one of the Senator's she'd pissed off to be waiting to jump her.

Maybe it was too late for her to not end up paranoid…

Once she came closer to the speeder, Zelina noticed that it wasn't some hired thug cocky enough to take on a Jedi, but one of her own men. Gambit, specifically, waiting for his general.

"Gambit—I wasn't expecting to see you hanging around here so close to all the politicians," Zelina quipped as she approached. Gambit snapped to attention briefly as she approached, then relaxed once again.

"Well, I knew you would either be at the Temple or here at the Senate, and when you weren't at the Temple…"

"You've been hunting me down, then? What's on your mind, Gambit?" Zelina asked curiously.

Gambit shifted uncomfortably, which surprised Zelina, considering her men usually were aware that she preferred they speak their minds. "General…I'm sure you're aware, but there have been…rumors circulating…"

Zelina's expression darkened slightly at his words. So that was what this was about. For a moment, she worried that some of her men might actually think there might be some truth to the rumors. But that wasn't giving her men nearly enough credit—they were all better than that.

"Yes…I'm aware. What about them?"

"They've got the men worried, General. Not that they're true, of course, but that they're going to put you in a…tight spot. No one's forgotten what happened to Commander Tano," Gambit said carefully.

Zelina had to fight off the instinctual wince at Gambit putting the possibility of what could happen to her out in the open, complete with a fresh dose of a reminder of Ahsoka's trial by fire.

"If I'm being honest…I'm a little concerned, myself. Even unfounded rumors can take good people out these days," Zelina admitted begrudgingly.

Gambit nodded like she had given him the answer he'd been expecting. "What are you doing that's started the rumors, General? If I'm allowed to ask."

Zelina shook her head, climbing into the speeder. "I was investigating what happened to the Ruusanians—or trying to, anyway. I was there that day, right behind the ship, and it wasn't an accident, it was a bomb. No one wants to listen, though, they just want to sweep it under the rug because they were Separatists. I've been trying to get someone with enough power to listen and open an investigation. All it's done, however, is make these rumors worse."

Zelina glanced over to see that Gambit only looked even more worried than he'd been when this conversation started. "I think it's time I backed down for a while, though. I hate to sit idly by while whoever's responsible gets away with this, but I don't want to feed these…whispers about me to the point they become dangerous. Not that I could do anything at this point, anyway. The trails gone cold, and no one's listening, just running their mouths with conspiracy theories."

"And if the rumors get worse?" Gambit asked seriously.

Zelina paused, drumming her fingers against the speeder's dashboard as she contemplated her answer. "I'll worry about it if they do. In the meantime, I'll settle for lying low and hoping that it doesn't come to that. It's the best I can do," Zelina added sharply when Gambit got ready to argue. "Especially since addressing these…whispers will only give them more merit. This is one of the few breaks you and your men get. Let me worry about me when we're not on the battlefield. I'll be all right."

Gambit nodded reluctantly but looked no more pacified than when he'd arrived. Unfortunately, Zelina couldn't offer him any reassurances, since she wasn't entirely sure how this mess was going to turn out. He snapped a salute, then backed away so Zelina could safely maneuver the speeder away from the Senate.

She could feel his worry long after she had left the Senate building behind.

* * *

Considering the course that her investigation had found itself on, Zelina determined that she was in need of a breather from everything she was currently trying to juggle. Her studies in healing had progressed well, as she was now volunteering in the Halls of Healing to get the much needed hands-on experience that would progress her skills far more than hours of pure study could. She had her next several lessons planned out, and while she did want to delve further into her Force-prompted studies of Satele Shan, she had promised herself she would get a true break. That meant she wasn't going to spend her breather studying, but rather socializing.

With Anakin, specifically, considering it had been a rough time for her friend, and she'd been so busy she'd hardly been around. She tried not to feel guilty about her recent lack of presence in Anakin's life, considering she'd been hard at work not only with her own problems and studies, but also trying to help relieve some of Anakin's current fears. She had been absent, but not without some benefit to him.

Still, it paid to be social and leave her apartment every now and then outside of hounding Senators or teaching Younglings. And though it had taken a bit of persuasion to get him out of his own Temple apartment (apparently Anakin had been doing some investigating of his own for Padme's sake), Zelina managed to convince him to take a walk with her through the Temple.

Of course, after some lighter topic in an attempt to not immediately ruin the conversation's relaxed tone, Anakin hadn't hesitated to get right to one of the many problems on his mind.

"Zee, I'm worried about you. Have you heard what some people are starting to say after your investigation?" Anakin said, far more blunt than Gambit had been earlier.

"Yes, Ani, I know, I've heard them myself," she said with a sigh.

"I'm glad you're trying to get justice, but at the same time, I think this might be too dangerous. If enough people get the wrong impression—"

"Relax, Anakin. I've already had this discussion with a couple people. Besides…" A bitter expression flickered across her face, and she looked away. "My investigation seems to have come to a permanent stop. The trails cold—at least the parts of it I can follow—and the more I push for an investigation, the worse those rumors get. I'm backing off. At least for now. If I get a lead, I'll pursue it, that's a given, but until then…as much as I hate to let them down, there's nothing I can do about that bombing in the meantime."

Anakin relaxed noticeably at her side. "I'm sorry you couldn't find out what happened…but I'm glad you're going to let things settle."

Zelina hummed. "I wish I could have done more than make inquiries that were repeatedly shut down, though."

"You said it yourself, we're not going to win every battle," Anakin reminded her gently.

"Sometimes, I hate it when I'm right."

"So do I."

Zelina snorted softly at the quip, nudging him playfully. "Oh, hush."

Anakin chuckled, allowing a temporary silence to linger between them before he spoke again. "When I was at your apartment the other day to ask about your progress, I saw you had a lot of material on your coffee table about Satele Shan? What's that about?"

Zelina brightened, a sudden rush of energy coursing through her. "Oh! Well, when I was first looking for some healing material in the Archives, I felt a prompting, and followed it to a small selection of holos about and by Grandmaster Shan. I tabled it at first because, well, I've had a lot to research, and some that takes priority over everything else, but when I finally sat down and started to look it over, it's actually quite fascinating."

"You're saying the Force guided you to some…what, entertaining recordings?" Anakin asked dubiously.

Zelina rolled her eyes. "Well, yes, her life story is interesting—she did live through the Galactic and Cold War between the Sith Empire and the Old Republic. She was also Grandmaster of the Order for a time, and turned the tide at the Battle of Alderaan. But I've been reading about some of the powers she demonstrated, some of which she left instruction behind for, and I think I actually have the potential for some of them. I think that's the main reason I was led to information about her," Zelina mused. "Then there's the fact that she had a secret son in the middle of the Galactic War."

Anakin missed a step, though he managed to hide it, his attention focused solely on Zelina. "What?"

"It's nice to know you're not the only one, isn't it?" Zelina asked slyly, a small smirk flickering across her face. "But yeah, with a bit of cross referencing with a Theron Shan that was born during the Galactic War around the same time she took a couple month break, it's kind of hard to miss. It's not something the Order is about to start teaching, but it happened. I'm sure there's plenty of interesting things that happened in the older times of the Order that today's Order would prefer forgotten, or at least unmentioned."

Anakin turned his gaze forward, his expression lost in thought as he contemplated this new piece of information. She'd thought he'd find that little piece of information interesting, considering he currently found himself in a similar situation. Perhaps if he knew someone else had successfully had a child while in the Order during a war, and had stayed in the Order, it would ease his worries even more.

The fact that Satele had obviously given the child up was irrelevant—he just had to know it was possible. The rest they could figure out how to fit to their current situation later.

"And before you ask, I'm still doing my healing research. I've just progressed to hands on healing experience, so when I'm not in the halls of healing or getting my lessons ready, that's when I've been doing this." Zelina thought that if she put his mind to ease before he even had the time for the thought to come into his mind, she might save herself some trouble later.

Anakin had a _special_ placein her heart, but she was well aware that doubt tended to enter his mind easily. Especially when he was under stress and around Palpatine regularly. A pattern it was unfortunately futile to point out to him, since his unfailing loyalty was, in this instance, a severe fault of his. She admired that loyalty when it stood behind her, but when it supported that twisted snake, it frustrated her to no end.

Whatever web Palpatine was spinning for Anakin now, she could always combat it with some classic bonding time…

"We should have a good spar again sometime. Preferably soon?" Zelina remarked.

"We could do that now—a fight would be a fitting way to end a walk," Anakin snickered, eyes still a little distant, no doubt thinking of all the information Zelina had breezed through in an effort to keep the conversation from getting too heavy—she needed a break from all of the serious stuff for a while.

"Great—I could use a good friendly fight. It's been too long since we had a good spar together, anyway."

"Since before the war if I'm remembering correctly."

"I think you're right. I believe it was at Varykino, with Padme."

"Damn, we do need to spar again…Where's the nearest dojo, training room, empty room, whatever we can use?"

"Don't worry, we're not that far from one."

They settled for choosing a training room that had enough room for Zelina and Anakin to spar without bothering anyone instead of one that was entirely empty. Anakin was too impatient to start their spar to spend the time trying to find an empty room large enough for the two of them. They'd just have to be mindful of the Master and Padawan training in one corner, and the two Jedi Knights running through some forms together in another.

After setting their cloaks aside, they both took up position across from one another, adjusting their lightsabers' power settings so there wouldn't be any severed limbs or unfortunate giant holes punched through each other by accident.

They were both well-trained professionals, two of the best in the Order's ranks (if hearsay and their many missions importance and success was anything to measure such a thing by), but accidents could still happen, and it was best to prepare so Anakin wouldn't end up with another limb lost or Zelina didn't get cut in half, or many other undesirable outcomes.

Ignoring the disapproving look shot their way by the Master who noticed they didn't bow first—they were both straight to the point people who knew it wasn't any kind of disrespect towards one another—Zelina and Anakin shifted into their starting positions. Before either of them moved, Anakin got in one quick quip.

"Not using your shoto? This is going to be a quick spar, then."

Zelina's eyes narrowed as she dashed forward, bringing her violet blade in an upwards arc that Anakin blocked and directed away from himself before she used the momentum to transfer into another attack lower towards his legs, again blocked with a much sharper motion considering how close to him her blade had already been.

"What, you think I've become dependent on two blades?" Zelina scoffed, coming up to be blocked again, both of them shifting so they were momentarily locked in a back and forth push to try and overwhelm one another. Anakin usually won those, so she'd have to find a way to disengage safely, soon. "Just because I have two doesn't mean I can't still fight with one."

"I've only seen you with two activated recently," Anakin pointed out as Zelina spun away, her back to his shoulder for a split second as her freed lightsaber sliced through the air towards his exposed back. Anakin's lightsaber blocked her path, angled downwards for the block and then pushing upwards to move both his blade and hers out of the way as he spun to face her.

"Lies—Dooku," she reprimanded him, their lightsabers clashing in rapid succession as she tried to land a blow on the right shoulder, left shoulder, waist, blocked an advance from Anakin that was aiming for an upwards cut around her ribcage.

"Fine, most of the time you use both," Anakin amended as they disengaged, readjusting their strategies since at the moment Zelina was almost purely offensive but still not getting through while Anakin was hardly veering away from the defensive.

Zelina shifted from the Ataru she'd been using to a more Soresu focused mindset, hoping to wear Anakin down a bit with a solid defense and maybe catch him with a sudden switch from defense to offense.

That was her plan, anyway.

Her shift seemed to come just in time, as Anakin came at her with a flurry of aggressive, powerful blows that the Soresu technique allowed her to block in rapid succession without expending too much energy, her motions fluid and at ease as she let Anakin attempt to hack away at her defenses.

"I'm practicing," she answered with a smile, leaning back with an almost taunting expression on her face as he came at her again, trying different angles and targets as he looked for a hole in her defense.

"In the middle of battles?"

"Best time to learn."

Zelina let Anakin continue to press her with his attacks, gradually driven back to the wall where she'd wanted him to push her. Once positioned where she wanted to be, Zelina let their blades clash, pushing Anakin back with a slightly Force assisted shove before turning enough to jump at and then kick off the wall behind her, flipping over him to get another shot at his exposed back—again, with some assistance from the Force. Anakin managed to spin around to defend against the attack, though he was just enough off balance that Zelina was able to push an advantage, getting in another attack that managed to glance along his upper right arm before he backed away with a soft grunt of frustration.

"Tricky, but not quite," he returned in a tone that was almost scathing. Zelina smiled sweetly at him, then rushed at him with a blend of Ataru and Djem So—her usual fighting style. Anakin knew well by now that a blend of the two was Zelina's preferred offensive, so he was prepared to ward off such a combination of attacks. She had a slight upper hand with his momentary off-balance, and she wasn't going to let it slip away, using the brief window to put Anakin back on the defensive, pushing him in the opposite direction. There were eyes on them now from the other occupants in the room, the other Jedi watching the renowned Knights spar—perhaps the Master was giving her Padawan pointers based on Anakin and Zelina's spar.

Anakin, skilled lightsaber duelist that he was, managed to regather his wits, stopping Zelina's flurry of blows with a well-placed block and attempting to sweep her feet out from under her. Zelina managed to step away from the maneuver, barely managing to recover her footing before Anakin pressed the attack again.

Considering Anakin was the larger and stronger combatant—especially with that mechanical hand of his—Zelina had to augment her abilities with the Force to hold off his strong blows. As tempted as she was to fall back on Soresu, she kept with the defensive form of Djem So, something Anakin noticed. He most likely took it as a sign that she was planning on switching to the offensive soon, which took away any sense of surprise from the attack—

Out of the corner of her eye, Zelina saw Master Windu enter the room, which offered her a prime opportunity served on a golden platter for something that had been on her mind for a couple weeks by now.

As Anakin came for a powerful overhead blow, Zelina met it with a well placed horizontal block. She shifted in place to put herself largely out of Anakin's lightsaber's path, then deactivated her blade just long enough for Anakin to stumble from the momentary loss of a force to push against, reactivating it once his lightsaber had passed so her blade was now humming at his neck, causing a slight burn with its low power setting.

Anakin jerked back, and Zelina used his momentary distraction to sweep his legs out from underneath him, leveling her lightsaber at his chest. "Match."

Anakin glared up at her. "That was a cheap trick."

Zelina deactivated her lightsaber, hooking it to her belt. "It's called Tràkata, look it up," she said almost absentmindedly, helping him to his feet. She'd never used that technique on him, but right now, she wanted to try and snag Master Windu while she had the chance. "Give me a minute, I want to ask Master Windu something real quick," she told Anakin once he was on his feet, quickly brushing a finger along his neck to heal the burn and darting away before he could answer to approach Windu.

She gave a respectful bow once she reached him, wanting to start this conversation off on the best foot possible before anything was said. In fact, she held her bowed stance, knowing that what she had to ask had a high chance of being answered with a resounding no and a scathing reprimand.

"Master Windu—if you have a moment, I'd like to ask you something important," Zelina said as respectfully as she could.

"What do you need, Du'ahn?" Windu asked warily, and Zelina straightened to address him properly, eye-contact included.

"I was hoping that you would be willing to train me in Vaapad."

Windu's eyebrows rose substantially, though to Zelina's (well-contained) delight, he didn't _immediately_ say no. "Why do you want to learn Vaapad?" he asked almost suspiciously.

Zelina didn't take offense—Vaapad was a closely guarded secret among the Jedi, considering everyone who had studied it except for Windu had at some point in their lives or training fallen to the dark side. Zelina hoped that, knowing her own inner demons and potential for the dark side, and having found a balance between the two, she would be able to safely study Vaapad. At least safer than most. Not to mention, she hoped it would help her balance out her lightsaber form in those moments where her attachments and emotions drove her actions more than any sort of center of focus or cool, level-headed logic.

Of course, she couldn't tell Windu exactly that without admitting her Grey status or the attachments she worked hard to keep from blatantly flashing before council members—other than Obi-Wan, who seemed to be a constant exception to the rule.

Steeling herself, Zelina did her best to present a case that would hopefully let Dooku allow her training in Vaapad.

"I'm aware that my lightsaber technique has always been more aggressive, and I've adapted different forms and techniques to try and fit my style. So far, I've done okay, but I also know that there have been times when stronger emotions can lead my blade rather than a calm center a Jedi tries to keep, that I try to keep. I've done my best to curb those tendencies, but I've only been able to channel it at best, which I know is part of the Vaapad technique. I'd rather receive proper training in Vaapad than misstep while trying to make my current hybrid form adapt to my shortcomings."

"Vaapad is a dangerous form for any Jedi to learn, Du'ahn, and if you're already having issues curbing your aggression, then Vaapad isn't a good fit for you. It will just bring you closer to the dark side instead of the light. Just keep working on disciplining yourself—you're still young, there's plenty of time for progress," Windu scolded her, turning to leave the room, most likely deciding to seek out a different place to train—or whatever he'd been planning on doing—away from the student he'd just turned down.

Anakin approached, rubbing absentmindedly at his neck. "What was that about?"

"Oh, I thought I'd try asking him to teach me Vaapad."

Anakin's scoff was almost instantaneous.

"You should've known better—He wouldn't even teach me or Obi-Wan Vaapad _or_ Juyo."

Zelina snorted. "Well, you do have a bit of an anger issue, so I can see why he told _you_ no. Obi-Wan…I love that old Jedi, but he just…doesn't seem to have the right temperament."

"And you do?" Anakin asked irritably. It was probably rhetorical, but Zelina answered anyway.

"Well, it doesn't hurt to ask, the worst he could say is no. And I have been rather…balanced, lately. I thought I could at least give it a shot."

"Well, you tried," Anakin said, clapping a hand on her shoulder. "And now you can join the growing list of those of us that failed to meet Windu's bar."

"Gee, thanks for the amazing support, Ani," Zelina said sarcastically, pushing him off playfully. "Now come on, I'm sure you want a rematch."

* * *

Du'ahn's inquiry to learn Vaapad unsettled Mace Windu enough that he could not shake the request from his mind the rest of the afternoon. In his opinion, the girl was just as rebellious and unorthodox as Skywalker, except she was better at being sneaky about it. That could arguably make her the worse of the two. She also had a temper, though she was better at hiding it and reigning it in than Skywalker, but that didn't mean it wasn't still their, burning under the surface, fueling some of her actions.

…and yet, some of what she said made him consider her request—or at least give it a second thought.

She _had_ said she already tried to temper and channel the emotions she couldn't curb that the Council frowned upon, which was part of Vaapad. She demonstrated an understanding and acknowledgement of her shortcomings, and seemed genuine in her desire to learn. She recognized the danger of using a Vaapad technique untrained and unsupervised, and acknowledged what she already did in her lightsaber technique as coming close to Vaapad technique.

But considering Du'ahn's track record, he wasn't confident she could handle the form without falling to the dark side. In fact, he worried she risked falling to the dark side more than most.

He would have to investigate this a little more, at least to settle his mind and make a more definitive choice.

The first person he went to was Obi-Wan, of course. Obi-Wan was on Coruscant, and while Windu also planned on speaking with Du'ahn's former Master, Aayla Secura was currently on Felucia, and it would take a while to reach her.

Kenobi, on the other hand, could be reached now.

And just to be sure, after he spoke with those two, he would go see Master Yoda.

* * *

A couple days after Zelina's sparring with Anakin, a knock sounded against her apartment door. Not expecting anyone, Zelina frowned as she rose from her couch (a common place to find her these days) and went to answer.

She was far more than mildly surprised when she found Master Windu on the other side, looking grim as ever.

"I will train you in Vaapad. But the moment I feel your training starts to take a dangerous turn, your training will stop."

Zelina was stunned, but she had the presence of mind to give a small bow. "Understood, Master."

Windu nodded, already turning away. "We'll start tomorrow morning. Be ready."

"Master," Zelina called before he could get too far away. "What changed your mind?"

Windu only half-turned. "You have more advocates with high praise than you may think."

With that simple answer, Windu left Zelina to process the news and prepare for her first training session in the morning.

* * *

On break from the war front, a class to teach, healing abilities developing, Vaapad to learn, and a fascinating Jedi Grandmaster of the past to research with the potential to further her own Force abilities, Zelina found herself relatively happy for the first time in what felt like an eternity. She was making a conscious effort to also stay social, reaching out frequently to Obi-Wan, Anakin, Padme, and Satine to spend some time with them. Anakin tended to be busy with Palpatine—unfortunately—but the others she managed to catch quite frequently.

At the moment, she was visiting Padme, a girl's night of sorts happening between them as they set the war aside for a few hours and simply allowed themselves to be two friends, one of which was pregnant. Satine had stated she would join them later, as apparently she had company.

Zelina would bet money that the company was Obi-Wan.

A Jedi Starfighter toy sat on the coffee table in front of Padme, one that had riled a few quips about Zelina already getting into the role of the aunt that spoils the children. They sat side by side on the couch, Zelina's hand on Padme's stomach as Padme gently guided Zelina's hand to the right spot in the hopes she might feel a kick.

"I'm just going to say it, I don't envy you two—pray you don't end up with a kid that has Anakin's temper and your spitfire spirit but doesn't have your level head," Zelina chuckled as she continued to feel around.

"Don't go cursing us, now," Padme warned.

"I'm just saying—you know it would be a nightmarish combination."

"There!" Padme suddenly exclaimed, and Zelina froze as she felt the soft thump against her fingers. Her bloodstream seemed to cool as she focused on the brief sensation.

A kick.

A baby.

Luke.

Anakin and Padme's son.

A strange mix of wonder and jealousy suddenly flooded her system. Wonder that the young Skywalker would soon enter this world, but also jealousy at the reminder of what she didn't have. A reminder of the depth of the relationship Padme and Anakin had, a relationship she had longed to have for years, but had painfully accepted she would never have long ago. She'd accepted Anakin had chosen Padme, she locked her own feelings away and didn't think of the relationship between Padme and Anakin besides they were together and married. Yet here…under her fingers…blooming life that came from the two of them.

Zelina didn't let the jealousy grow. She found it and shoved it out into the Force before it could take root and start to grow into something ugly, focusing instead on the wonder of the moment.

"It won't be long before the little Skywalker is running around, will it?" Zelina commented.

"Not too long, no. Doctor Trivit said everything is progressing well, too. No problems from what he could see."

"That's good," Zelina murmured, sitting back as she felt a _pair_ of familiar presences tickle the back of her mind. "I think…I think Obi-Wan's coming with Satine," Zelina announced seriously, giving Padme a pointed look.

The woman rose from her seat, grabbing her cloak off of the back of the chair—the pair had gone shopping for some more concealing clothes for the later part of Padme's pregnancy. Threepio shuffled over to the door as Zelina grabbed the starfighter toy and rushed to hide it in Padme's bedroom, returning just as she heard the familiar voices echoing from the foyer through the living room.

"…still here?" Satine was asking, leading the group of three into the living room.

"I'm here," Zelina commented, coming to a stop on the other side of the couch. She took in the grim look on Obi-Wan's face, Padme's confused expression, and Satine's rather angry look that thankfully didn't seem to be directed at anyone present. "What's going on?"

"Have you seen this?" Satine asked, shoving a datapad Zelina's way. "It's outrageous, unfounded, libel, defamation!" Satine fumed, directing her words towards Obi-Wan.

She really didn't like the sound of that, especially considering the attention she'd been attracting lately. Taking the datapad from Satine, Zelina's eyes scanned the article it displayed, reading certain words out loud for Padme's convenience.

"Republic Guardian or Separatist Sympathizer…has reportedly been pushing for the reopening of a case that involved the death of Separatist terrorists, claiming it to be a targeted attack when multiple officials and first hand accouters confirm it was an accident…warning signs for a much larger problem…could perhaps be more than a sympathizer…a potential defector, if not already a _Separatist spy_ …"

Zelina looked up at that comment to see the mixture of grimness, anger, and horror mixed across the faces of her three companions.

"I believe you've officially caught unwanted attention," Obi-Wan said seriously.

* * *

One of the other men, barely no longer a Shiney, had brought the article to Gambit's attention. A small group of the newer 105th members had been quietly discussing it in a corner, drawing Gambit's attention with how secretive they seemed to be acting. Once he saw who it was about, and what it was claiming, he'd given the new recruits a short and scathing speech before leaving to read the article in its entirety on his own.

In essence, it was a fiery piece ranting about General Du'ahn's attitude towards Separatists and trying to "make something out of nothing" to garner Separatist sympathy, claimed she was a liar. As if that wasn't enough, after accusing her of being an impassioned Separatist sympathizer, it moved on to suggest that she could deflect to the Separatist side soon, giving the Separatists a powerful ally if something wasn't done soon, even boldly claiming that she could already be a Separatist spy, feeding them information out of sympathy for their 'plight.'

The more Gambit read, the more his blood boiled, riling his soldier's instincts to act and do something about the outright defamation that was being thrown at his general. As son as he finished reading the article, he sprang from his seat, making his way to the communications section of the Coruscant base with a purpose.


	8. A Bad Gamble

"Obviously something needs to be done about this before it can spiral any further out of control."

"Paying attention to these accusations only leads them credence."

"But not acting allows them to flourish and grow."

"But if she tries to quiet them or puts too much effort into letting the public know she's innocent it could look like she's trying to hide something."

"You're not giving us any options for something to do. We can't do anything, but we can't ignore this either, what choice does that leave us?"

Zelina listened to Obi-Wan, Satine, and Padme go back and forth in debate over the article that Zelina still held in her hands. She'd already placed herself firmly on the couch, staring down at the device without seeing it as she tried to think of what to do. The feeling of claustrophobia suddenly became real to her, but not because she was in a physically small space.

Someone was making the proverbial walls close in on her. Trapping her with politics, the one thing she'd always struggled with to the point she usually preferred to ignore it. They still needed solid evidence, of course, but Zelina wasn't about to provide them with anything that they could possibly use to claim she'd gone Separatist.

Not willingly or on purpose, of course.

The two politicians and other Jedi in the room continued to argue over what to do, Zelina continuing to ignore them until she rose to her feet, distracting them enough to bring the argument to a temporary standstill.

Zelina looked at all three of them, handing Satine her datapad back. "You're right, I can't do anything about this without making myself look suspicious. But I don't have to give them more fuel, either. I have other things to keep me busy, some of which involves serving the Republic. I'll just keep doing my duty, and eventually, with a little luck, they'll run out of material to work with their conspiracy theory."

"And if it only gets worse?" Obi-Wan asked pointedly.

"If it gets worse, then I'll worry about it when that does happen. They're right, I can't make myself look guiltier. I can keep serving the republic and let my actions speak louder than this article. If my actions don't match their article, then the accusations won't hold nearly as much water. It's the best I can hope to do for now. Besides, politics isn't my arena. If I tried to enter their arena, I'm grimly aware that I most likely wouldn't win that…verbal fight, or whatever it might be."

"Just tell me you're not looking into the explosion anymore?"

"No. I stopped my investigation a while ago. The leads all went cold and no one would work with me. Not to mention I was told these kinds of rumors started circulating. I'm not stupid, I know when to back off."

"Apparently you didn't back off soon enough," Obi-Wan remarked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Or it's not my fault, and this entire…mess was always going to escalate to this point," Zelina suggested, drawing curious looks from everyone in the room. She knew it sounded rather conspiracy theorist of her, but she did have a thought floating around in her head that she wasn't going to keep to herself. "I've only met resistance for this whole investigation on a governmental scale since day one. Someone purposely sabotaged the ship full of my civilian prisoners. And now there's vehement whispers and even an article questioning my loyalty to the Separatists? Don't any of you think that's rather targeted? Doesn't it make any of you wonder if I was meant to be the victim from the very start?"

"You think you're being targeted by someone high-up in the Senate?" Satine asked. She left the, _isn't that a bit of a leap_ , unspoken, especially since everyone in the room held suspicions and reservations regarding the Republic Senate to some degree.

"I wouldn't be surprised. I haven't particularly cared if I step on toes doing what I think is right, and I'm not oblivious to the fact that's made me some enemies. I'd also point out I'm on terrible terms with Palpatine, but the feelings are mutual, so I don't think I'm in a position to start pointing fingers."

Obi-Wan looked thoughtful at the mention that Palpatine was on that list of potential suspects. "It's something to keep in mind. In the meantime, we'll have to work on getting you a little more involved in republic matters while you're on Coruscant instead of keeping you isolated in the Temple. Just enough for the public to see loyalty to the Republic, not enough to force feed it to them?" Obi-Wan suggested.

"I've already got a lot of obligations I have to keep with now, Obi-Wan," Zelina said softly. "I'm teaching the younglings, studying Vaapad with Master Windu and Healing in the Halls of Healing, and I felt prompted by the Force to study Satele Shan, which has led me to practicing some other abilities I've discovered while studying her life and what remains of her teachings. I might be hard pressed to fit some Republic Community Service in there."

While he seemed surprised to hear she was being taught Vaapad, Obi-Wan managed to stay on topic. "This is serious, Zelina. You'll have to make the time to do something. You could help the relief efforts and refugees on Coruscant in your spare time."

Zelina turned to Satine and Padme, who shared a look. "I'm sure we can arrange something."

"Then that will be our minimalist retaliation," Zelina said with a nod. "Otherwise, we'll ignore it and let it die out."

The others looked uncomfortable, but Zelina did her best to seem determined.

In reality, she felt like she was in the process of being cornered, and it was putting her in a borderline panic.

* * *

As she left Padme's apartment, Obi-Wan made sure he was right beside her.

"Do you mind if we talk?" he asked as they stepped into the turbolift together.

"You've already checked up on me once, recently, and you've already heard what's going on, I don't know how much we'll be able to talk about," Zelina commented.

"On the contrary, I think there's plenty to talk about."

"Then by all means."

"How are you feeling? Really? You're not as unfazed by these accusations as you're making it appear, I trust?"

"I'm feeling rather trapped, but if there's not much I can do about it, the best I can do is try not to think about it, right?" Zelina asked pointedly, staring up at the ceiling.

"Zelina, these accusations can turn serious. And the last thing I want is to see you put on trial for false accusations of being a Separatist Operative," Obi-Wan said seriously, gently touching her arm to get his attention. "I'm worried about you."

"And I'm grateful for that. I am," Zelina told him in an honest, soft tone of voice. "But there's no point in worrying over something you can't change. If these accusations do get worse, it'll have to go though the Council, first, since I'm under Order jurisdiction before Republic…though after what happened to Ahsoka…"

"I will _not_ let what happened to Ahsoka happen to you as well," Obi-Wan said in a sudden firm tone. It surprised Zelina to hear the raw protection in his tone and the determined spark in his eye, but Zelina was touched to see it.

"Thank you, Obi-Wan. Though I am afraid you're just one member of an entire Council of Jedi who would need to be of a similar opinion," she said with a sad smile.

"You've shown your character time and time again. If Windu has agreed to start teaching you Vaapad, then it speaks to your character. You may have more support than you think, young one."

Zelina placed a hand on his shoulder. "Again, I'm grateful for the support, but I'll keep my realist point of view so that if the worst _does_ happen I'm not too terribly disappointed."

"It's not a bad approach, I'll give you that, but it wouldn't hurt if you showed a little more optimism. At least then it won't seem like you're giving in to an inevitable outcome," Obi-Wan returned.

"I'll take it into consideration."

* * *

Padme and Satine wasted no time in sending Zelina information about local, legitimate war relief efforts, and some of the refugee support groups that needed assistance and wasn't a credit vacuum for the good hearted to be conned into helping the greedy. After taking a look at the operation hours for both, Zelina made sure to fit time into her schedule for both wherever she could, hopefully without spreading herself too thin.

Now the only thing she had to do was ignore any follow up articles questioning her loyalty to the best of her ability. Of course, now that the rumors had been published in an article, the whispers now followed her in the halls of the Jedi Temple, though not as badly as they had plagued her in the Senate Building.

Unfortunately, her plans were short lived. Hardly a day passed before something happened that blew the entire matter out of the shallow end and into a depth more on the scale of Kamino waters.

Footage of Zelina's battle on Ruusan was released, pieced together from local security recordings and some of the security cams that the 105th wore when they were spread out across a large field and needed to see what was happening. Specifically, it was footage of the assault of the Separatist Army on the village of the locals that had been arrested. Since it was pieced together footage from several places, the footage jumped around, showing the droids attacking defenseless civilians, 105th soldiers trying to defend the villagers as well as press the droids back…

And it particularly focused on Zelina leading the defense of the village with a few of the locals at the side of the Republic forces.

At first, Zelina felt a spark of pride at the quick defense that _had_ to have been put together by one of her men, meant to showcase that the civilians killed in the accident had been civilians who had been victims of the Separatists as much as many other Republic citizens and had tried to help, and showed Zelina working to protect the civilians against the Separatists, fighting the Separatists and trying to keep the casualties as low as possible.

But then reality settled in, and with it, a spark of panic. This didn't help, not in her current position. She needed to be ignoring the rumors, not acknowledging them to give them merit. Not to mention, as responses started to come in, it was largely negative, with a particular outrage over the fact that Republic Soldiers had been sacrificed for Separatists, and that Zelina had worked with Separatists on the battlefield.

To make matters even worse, Zelina realized that the footage was sensitive, possibly even considered top secret. Whoever leaked the footage had leaked confidential material to the public. Whatever the intentions of the releaser, it was something that could easily get a treason charge placed on their heads.

She needed to find whoever was responsible. Hopefully before Coruscant Authorities or the Republic's Military Police traced the footage to whoever released it.

Having already left the safety of the Temple to head towards Coruscant's military base for her search, Zelina used her personal comm to reach out to her men that should have been on their way back from Ruusan by now.

The soldier on the other end snapped to a salute as soon as he saw Zelina's face. "General, we weren't expecting a call from you. Shall I go find Commander Cruiser?"

"That won't be necessary, soldier. I need to speak with Commy, is he nearby?"

Considering the call had been routed to the communications room on the ship, the man had to be nearby unless he was on break. The soldier currently in her line of view, turned to look behind his shoulder, ushering for someone to step into the picture. In the next moment, Zelina was able to see Commy as well.

"Yes, General?" Commy asked, snapping a quick salute before relaxing again.

"Commy, did someone ask for footage of Ruusan in the past twenty-four hours or so?" Zelina asked seriously.

"Ah, yes ma'am. Gambit said that he'd been asked to retrieve some of the footage for a briefing you needed to give to members of the Council…is something wrong, General?"

Zelina felt a flash of ice rush through her. She'd asked for footage for her briefings before, when she worried that some of her actions reached into a grey zone the Council would need to see in order to not judge her harshly for the action she'd taken under such circumstances. It wasn't that outlandish to think she'd asked one of her most trusted men to retrieve such footage for her if she was busy. And of all the men on Coruscant, it had to have been Gambit who had jumped to her defense at risk of himself. She should have guessed. The man had already been concerned for her when the rumors started to circulate, she should have done something, said something to her men once the rumors turned to articles in an attempt to prevent this very thing from happening.

"Lock down that footage, don't let anyone access it except members of the Jedi Council, myself…and Chancellor Palpatine," Zelina told him, reluctantly adding on the last bit as she knew that someone in the Senate needed to be allowed to access the footage. If she completely cut the footage off from the Senate it would seem suspicious, but considering what was happening in regards to her recent actions, having the footage locked away from everyone in the senate except the Chancellor might seem feasible. "There are things happening here on Coruscant, and I believe Gambit tried to use the footage to come to my defense. Unfortunately, it seems he's only made matters worse, and painted a target on his back. Don't let anyone pull that footage that isn't on that list, and tell anyone else who has to handle the footage."

"General Du'ahn, what's happening on Coruscant?" Commy asked in clear concern.

"Apparently there's a rumor that I'm a Separatist Sympathizer, or worse. Gambit tried to use the footage as a defense of my character, but the public's only taking it as further proof that my allegiances might not lie with the Republic anymore. Again, Commy, do you understand? No one gets access to that footage—"

"Except yourself, the Chancellor, and the Jedi Council. It's understood, ma'am," Commy said with a sharp nod. "Has Gambit been arrested?"

"I'm headed to him now. Hopefully I get there before anyone else and I can smooth this out before it gets even more out of control. How far away from Coruscant are you?"

"Well, I'm afraid we won't be arriving tomorrow, Ma'am, but we're not too far out. Perhaps a day or two, give or take."

"I'll keep that in mind. I'm approaching the base now—again, no one touches those holos! I don't want any of my men slapped with a treason charge. Things are already tense enough here on Coruscant as it is, and I don't need any more of my men getting pulled into the middle of this mess."

"I'll let the other communications officers know, General. Good luck," Commy said sincerely, and the connection ended.

After landing her borrowed Temple speeder, Zelina made her way swiftly towards the 105th barracks section, swiftly passing the bunks for the rookies and lower ranked soldiers and headed right towards the officer and Arc Trooper lodgings. Not many of the men looked twice as she made her way through, as she wasn't a General who was above spending some of her free time with her men. If she wasn't here on official business, she would come down here for some rounds of Sabacc or simply to socialize. If they did look again, it was either because they were new to the ranks of the 105th, or they saw the purpose that she was making her way through the barracks with and were wondering what was going on that had the General so worked up and in the army's base.

The officer and Arc Trooper lodgings were mostly empty, as the majority had stayed behind for the rest of the Ruusanian conflict while a handful of soldiers, mostly the lower ranked ones, had returned with Zelina to Coruscant. Thankfully, Gambit was in his room, as Zelina entered to find him fixated on a datapad, though she couldn't see what exactly he was looking at that had him so entranced.

Though she did have a pretty good guess.

"What were you thinking?" Zelina blurted out without so much as announcing her presence or saying his name. The soldier nearly leapt off of his seat on his bunk in surprise. "Gambit, you could be arrested! You probably will be at any moment!"

Gambit rose to his feet then, standing at attention. "I did what I felt was my duty, Ma'am. They're trying to drag your name through the mud, and I know the charges that could lead to. I was hoping if they saw your calls on the battlefield, how you're a soldier of the people and you do your duty and respect all life and fight for the Republic, the rumors might stop. Or at least lose traction."

"But now they're focused on the fact that I sacrificed Republic Soldiers protecting Separatists instead of Republic citizens, that I worked with them. And you leaked sensitive, confidential footage. They could charge you with treason, Gambit, and there's not much I can do to help you if they do! This isn't Umbara, they're not Krell, I'm not going to have enough pull to stop them if they decide to charge you—I couldn't even get someone to look into the explosion that killed the Ruusanians! What were you thinking?" Zelina asked almost frantically, finding that in her fervor she'd placed her hands on either side of his arms to shake him at least once, tearing apart his expression with her gaze.

"I did what I thought was right, General. I couldn't stand by while they tried to paint you as a traitor when you're one of the best the Republic's got fighting for them. And if they arrest me for it, they arrest me for it. I'm prepared to pay any price for what I believe in, and you're one of the few things I still believe in after everything I've seen in this war," Gambit said firmly.

Zelina was about to do something that would make her an accomplice, the command for him to run for it on the brink of her lips when the door slid open once again to reveal Republic Soldiers in the red and white armor that her mind immediately referenced with Coruscant's prison.

At least she didn't see Commander Fox among them. She wasn't particularly fond of the Commander after the Ahsoka incident and his execution of Fives.

One of the soldiers stepped forward. "General Du'ahn, I'm going to have to ask you to step aside," he said firmly, and though it was with extreme reluctance, Zelina knew her window to act had closed and Gambit's fate had slipped out of her hands, so she released her hold on Gambit's arms and stepped back.

"CT-7337, _Gambit_ , you're charged with unlawfully disclosing sensitive military recordings to the public, and are hereby placed under arrest."

* * *

"This makes everything so much worse."

"I know."

"They're saying it's proof that you're sympathetic to the Separatists and willing to work with them."

"I know."

"They're claiming it as evidence that the accusations are true."

"I know."

"And your presence at Gambit's arrest only makes you look worse."

"I know."

"They're saying you conspired with him to leak the footage in an effort to cover your hide, _or_ that you'd asked him to destroy the footage to save your skin and instead he released it to show your true colors."

"I know."

"Of course, Gambit is denying both of those claims, though the public doesn't particularly care since they believe his loyalty would have him say anything to protect you, but either way it still paints you in an even worse light then before."

"I _know_."

Padme and Satine paced different spots of Zelina's apartment furiously, shooting off all the way that Gambits actions had made the situation worse—something Zelina was already well aware of—in an effort to vent out their frustrations before they got to work trying to help Zelina salvage the situation, or at least come out of it only slightly scathed instead of falling into an ever-worsening hole. Obi-Wan would have been there as well, but he'd gone to find Anakin, as it had become rather difficult to find the other Jedi considering how often Palpatine liked to call Anakin to his side simply to witness the day to day operations of the Senate.

And whisper his ever-twisted _knowledge_ into his ear, Zelina also noted, though she bitterly acknowledged there was nothing she could do about that since it was an official position Anakin now held that both the Council and Palpatine wanted.

"What I don't know is what's going to happen to Gambit. I can think of some pretty nasty things, but that might just be overreaction on my part. They can't put him to death for this, can they?" Zelina asked, drawing the attention of the two women who were wearing trenches into her carpeting.

The two shared a look. "If they trumped up the severity of the leak and pushed for the worst punishment, perhaps. Usually this would just result in imprisonment, though," Padme reasoned.

"So if they treat this like any other case and there's no outside interference, he should just end up imprisoned," Zelina echoed, just to clarify.

"I believe so. Though if what you say about someone in the Senate being out to get you is in fact true…" Satine trailed off.

"Then its entirely possible that a death sentence is on the table. They might say his actions were treasonous. They might even try to pull me into this mess considering the accusations going around that it was something the two of us decided to do."

Padme shook her head. "They would need hard evidence for that last part, which they have none of. You're safe. Gambit, however, isn't."

"Is there anything we can do to help him?" Zelina asked.

"Represent him at his trial, try to douse the fire all of this has caused with some water, or in other words, tell it how it is and take out the inflammatory media perspective of the entire situation, show that it isn't as dire as some are saying that it is," Satine said softly.

Zelina sighed, running her hands through her hair. "I should have known as soon as we came up with a plan to help things settle down and put this…fiasco behind us, something would happen to send it spiraling out of control."

Padme took a seat next to her. "But we can still fix this, Zelina. No one's coming to arrest you, and despite everything that's happening, it's all still just wild accusations and claims. They don't have any evidence to pin against you yet."

"That doesn't reassure me," Zelina told her quietly. "I might not be arrested—yet—but now one of my men is facing charges that could potentially turn lethal because he tried to stand up for me with everything going on."

"At least it's something," Satine supplied, sitting on the opposite side of Zelina. Zelina didn't look up, simply fixed her gaze on a spot in front of her without really seeing anything.

"How did this even happen," she murmured.

The door to her apartment opened for what felt like the thousandth time that day, admitting both Anakin and Obi-Wan. The concern and even some fear was rolling off Anakin in waves as he entered the room, and while Zelina could also sense Obi-Wan's potent concern for her, it was Anakin's that was overpowering and filled the room.

"Zelina," Anakin said simply as he approached her. She knew he was going to say he was sorry for everything that was happening, that they were going to fix it, that he would do everything he could, that everything would be all right, that they would get through this. She didn't want him to say it, though. As long as he didn't say it out loud, she might still believe it, knowing he meant to say it, that he believed it. If he said it out loud she'd have to address it with her own skepticism, with the reality of the situation. If it remained unsaid, then perhaps she could preserve the hope he was offering her just a little longer.

Zelina rose from her seat on the couch, wrapping her arms around him in a hug he'd already been ready to supply, partially for the comfort she desperately needed, and also to stop him from saying all of it out loud.

"I'm glad you're here," she murmured quietly.

"Obi-Wan told me—"

"I know," she said softly, and he quieted, holding her a little tighter.

He knew.

He knew she wouldn't believe him if he said it out loud.

So he let her have her hope, and he hugged her back like she clearly wanted. He held her like she needed, and simply supplied the support she desperately desired from him.

Because despite everything going on, all the arguments and miscommunications and how much the war had changed them both…he still knew.

And they were both afraid, and too scared to say it aloud.


	9. Tipping Point

Despite the turn for the worse that recent events had taken, Zelina still tried to stick with her original plan and do some work for the Republic in her minimal free time. The goal turned into a legitimate challenge when she noticed that there were glares and hateful looks sent her way by some citizens, and when she started sensing legitimate malice and ill will…

She didn't particularly like the thought of being shot at or stabbed in public, so her travels became careful and as secretive as possible whenever she wasn't going to be in the Temple or visiting Padme and Satine. The fact that she suddenly had to worry about her personal safety to such a degree unsettled her, and in the back of her mind, she found herself making back-up plans that shook her with the realization of the point she'd reached.

She was even cautious going to the military base. Her men might have been loyal, and she was sure that a large segment of the 501st could be on her side as well, but the other soldiers didn't know her, and she didn't know if any of them were suspicious of her as well. She took some comfort in the thought that a soldier wasn't about to murder a Jedi in cold blood because there were rumors saying she might be a traitor, but she still aired on the side of caution.

Better safe than dead.

Of course, now she was headed to the base yet again, as the rest of the 105th was supposed to be arriving on Coruscant at long last today, and Zelina felt she needed the extra support system. Plus she wanted to have a long, in person conversation with her men to make sure none of them pulled a similar stunt as Gambit trying to defend her. She didn't need any more of her men imprisoned for loyalty.

Zelina adjusted the sleeve of her overtunic absentmindedly as she approached the shipyard where the men were currently disembarking from the flagship _Vitality_ in random clusters, some with helmets on, some tucked under their arms, and a few already in casual clothes.

Several soldiers broke away from the main mass of white, purple, and grey to start making their way towards her. Zelina was able to easily recognize them, partially because of the easily distinguishable personalized markings on their armor. Nex was almost front and center, Cruiser being the one with that honor, Keen-eye close behind, Bruiser and Hardball flanking him, Aalto and Var…

Zelina stopped taking a head count once Cruiser reached her, skipping the pleasantries and getting right to business, as he knew Zelina preferred.

"General, Commy told us about Gambit—is there going to be a trial?" Cruiser asked, his concern for both his brother and his general clear on his face.

"There should be, as far as I'm aware there will be. Senator Amidala, Duchess Satine, General Kenobi, and I have been working on a solid defense to try and minimize the severity of the charges."

Nex easily noticed that there was a key person missing from Zelina's list of regular allies. "What about General Skywalker, Ma'am?"

"General Skywalker was given a new position when we arrived on Coruscant. He's the personal representative of the Chancellor in the Jedi Council, and the Chancellor has been seizing the majority of his time. He's already expressed his support, but he won't be of much help with his current preoccupations."

In other words, Palpatine was a greedy Anakin hog and was giving her yet another reason to despise the man. Anakin had already made it clear he wanted to be with her during all this madness, but Palpatine continued to demand his presence to most of the daily workings of the Senate. For once, both Anakin and Zelina were on the same page regarding Palpatine, as they both hated just how little time Palpatine's demands were leaving Anakin to be there for the people he cared about.

The men exchanged a brief glance at the news, but it was Bruiser who spoke up.

"All due respect, General, but what the hell has been going on since you came back to Coruscant?"

Leave it to Bruiser to be so blunt.

Zelina crossed her arms over her chest with a sigh, relaying the entire story of how the Ruusanian's had been killed in an explosion during a transfer to a high security prison, the pushback for an investigation when Zelina claimed it had been a bombing and not an accident, the rumors that had been circulating, the article, Gambit's release of the video, and the subsequent worsening of the situation from there. By the time she was done, her men were only all the more agitated, not reassured.

"I don't want anyone else pulling a stunt like Gambit did—let me handle this. I don't need anyone else getting caught in the crosshairs of whoever is stoking this nonsense," Zelina said seriously.

"But General—" Hardball started to protest, but Zelina swiftly cut him off.

"I mean it. Gambit could be facing a death penalty if the fervor surrounding all this makes its way into the trial. I value my men, and I'd rather not lose my most trusted for being loyal. Let me handle this. If I truly need your help, I will approach you directly, and I promise it will not be something that puts you into the line of fire so blatantly. You can't support me if you all get charged with treason."

She had a point, and they knew it. They might not like being unable to do anything to help her, but she couldn't do much either, so they were all in the same boat. No one argued, though she didn't let it pass her notice that no one agreed to be complacent, either.

They wouldn't be her men if they did.

"General Du'ahn! General!"

Zelina turned at the sound of the new voice, one that wasn't unfamiliar, but she hadn't expected to hear as the 105th filed into the base. Amongst the sea of 105th, two blue and white 501st soldiers were rushing her way.

"Jesse? Echo? What are you two doing here?" Zelina asked in confusion, turning all the way around as the two soldiers came to a halt just short of where she stood.

Echo bothered to snap a salute—always the one for commands and procedures, that one—while Jesse went right to the heart of the matter.

"Gambit's being executed," he spat out.

" _What?_ "

Zelina's exclamation was enough to garner stares, though the instant protests behind her from her men made even more 105th stop and stare, trying to figure out what was going on.

"There was supposed to be a trial—how did this happen?" Zelina demanded, already moving for the exit. Jesse and Echo fell on either side of her, while the group of her men who had just been talking to her about the entire ordeal fell into step behind, Cruiser managing to take up a spot right behind her.

"It seems the Republic is taking a leaf out of Krell's book," Jesse said darkly, and Zelina had to resist wincing at the reminder. Jesse had been one of the two she'd saved when Krell called for their execution without trial.

Hopefully she could pull off the same thing with Gambit, though deep in her gut, she wasn't so optimistic.

"We told General Skywalker as well—he said he'd meet you there," Echo added, glancing in concern at his fellow 501st soldier.

"Do you know what led up to this? At all? How they managed to get away with skipping a trial and going right for a death penalty?"

"It's all a bunch of political nonsense to me, General. I'm not entirely sure how it happened," Jesse admitted. "Something about severity of the case and a matter better dealt with quickly? Either way, it's a pathetic excuse."

"Pathetic excuse or not, it was apparently enough to pass a judgement without a proper trial," Zelina muttered darkly.

The small party made their way to the grounds usually used for executions without delay, Zelina, of course, in the lead with all of the men following close behind her. When they reached the gates, Zelina spotted Anakin waiting outside the front, his expression grim and dark.

"I found out where he is while I was waiting. They haven't done it yet, but they were putting together the firing squad the last I checked," Anakin told her.

"You didn't go in to try and stop them?" Zelina asked incredulously as Echo moved out of the way so Anakin could fall into step beside her.

"They wouldn't let me in. Said it wasn't a matter concerning me and that there was nothing I could do anyway."

"Well, considering he's one of _my_ men, no one's about to tell me it doesn't concern me," Zelina said as they were stopped by a pair of the red and white painted Coruscant Guard.

"I'm afraid we can't let you pass, Ma'am. Sir," they announced, stepping into their path to block the entrance.

"It's one of my men being executed, and without a fair trial—it's my business, and I am going to do something about it. Now step aside, troopers," Zelina said firmly. She heard a few of the soldiers shift behind her, and a part of her hoped that they weren't reaching for any weapons in a threatening manner.

"It's not a public execution—" one of the troops started to say hesitantly.

"I. Am. His. _General_ ," Zelina stressed in a threatening tone, drawing herself up to her full height as she stepped closer. "And you will let me through."

The guards shared a look. "We can't let that many of you go through armed."

"Fine. Then let me, General Skywalker, Commander Cruiser, and Jesse through," she bargained. Knowing that the firing squad might have already been assembled by now, Zelina couldn't help but feel as if a crushing weight was falling over her, time slipping away too fast for her to get a grip on what was happening. She didn't even know what she planned to do once she was inside, all she knew was that she wanted to stop the execution.

The guards carefully and even reluctantly stepped aside, only allowing Anakin, Zelina, Cruiser, and Jesse through. Zelina glanced back apologetically at the men who were forced to stay outside briefly before turning her attention forward. She stretched out with her senses in the Force, feeling for the Arc Trooper in the Force and following the presence through the halls of the facility they were in, leading their small group towards Gambit.

The air was charged, and considering the quick pace Anakin demonstrated, she wasn't the only one who could sense the danger in the air and the feeling of rapidly losing time. Considering they _were_ out of place in this particular part of Coruscant, they drew looks from anybody they passed, but because of the urgency with which they were moving, no one dared to intercept them.

Finally, Zelina sensed Gambit up ahead and a little below them, which meant that they would probably be arriving at a balcony or observatory section above the firing field. It wouldn't be hard to jump below if they needed to, or perhaps this route would lead them right to someone who could do something about what was happening, stop this before an innocent man was killed for being loyal because of corruption and someone's vendetta against _her_ , not him—

Zelina burst from the hall and onto a balcony like she'd suspected she would, one that overlooked the small execution area. Her hands found their way to the railing, leaning over just enough to spot Gambit standing tall and defiant on the other end of the open range, the red and white armored guards on the other end with blasters raised.

" _Fire_!"

" _No_!"

Zelina visibly shrank back as the blue blaster bolts flashed through the air, grip tightening against the railing as the sense of failure bolted her in place. Down below, Gambit crumpled to the floor, his presence in the Force ripped away to leave behind nothing but a faint and fading echo of what once had been.

Silence settled across the facility, the guards below looking up to see the Jedi General rooted in place with an expression of abject horror, staring down at the arc trooper that had just been executed.

Too late.

Too late.

Too _late_.

This had been an execution she could not stop. This was a situation far beyond her reach of control. This was real, and the body count already passed more than eight. Who would be next? Who would be the person she failed to save after this? How many?

And Gambit…one of her most loyal, one of the ones who'd had their chip removed without hesitation, an Arc Trooper that had been with her on the frontlines since before Umbara. He'd survived Krell, but now, on Coruscant, he'd been cut down for trying to defend the General he'd fought beside for years.

Her man…cut down for defending _her_. Without any trial or preserving of his rights. On a planet far from the battle where he shouldn't have been put in such a position that cost him his life to defend his battle. Such events were supposed to only happen on the battlefield, not follow them home. Even then she always fought to keep her men from having to sacrifice themselves for her. Yet there Gambit lay unmoving on the floor, riddled with holes from his own brothers—

Zelina felt a hand on her shoulder. Warm, heavy, comforting, but the presence attached to it filled with sorrow, anger, wariness, concern…

Anakin.

"Zelina…" he said softly. This time Zelina did not turn into him. She couldn't, couldn't tear her eyes from the scene, couldn't pry her hands from the metal that seemed to be starting to warp beneath her grip, couldn't move her feet or shuffle them aside.

Anakin's other hand reached over to cover one of hers, gently working her fingers loose from the metal bar, trapping the one hand in his own before his other hand worked on prying free her other. Zelina blinked rapidly as his actions slowly brought her back to motion within the present, his hands trapping hers as if in preparation to keep her from doing something that could hurt herself or others. She hardly realized she'd twisted the balcony railing beneath her, too distracted by the feelings bubbling inside her. The grief, the loss, the sense of failure, the sorrow, the frustration, and yes, _anger_.

Though the last wasn't fostered much, as currently she didn't have a name for whoever was responsible for this new monstrosity she'd witnessed, one that had hit far too close to home.

Anakin was trying to bring her back to them, to sooth her. He'd called the guard who had been overseeing the execution. Zelina hardly heard the man over the rushing sound in her ears as her insides roiled and squirmed, begging to do something, to be called to action, but having nowhere to direct their energies.

"…approved this execution? Gambit wasn't given a trial, but he was supposed to, and no one informed his commanding officers."

"The Chancellor reviewed the case and deemed Gambit a danger to the Republic, and his actions treasonous. He ordered the execution, said to make it quick to put the affair behind the Republic before it could become too much of a scandal and before other rebellious acts could be inspired."

_Palpatine._

The thought resonated in her mind, and suddenly, all the feelings brewing inside of her, her need for action, had a target, somewhere to go, an enemy to be channeled towards. She knew exactly where to go to find the man, as well.

She didn't know how she did it—probably because in one moment she'd been standing completely still, and the suddenness and strength of the motion caught him off guard—but she wrenched free of Anakin, maneuvering around him in a beeline back through the halls and towards the entrance, the Senate building engrained in her mind as her destination. Jesse and Cruiser didn't even try to stop her, both men recognizing the look on her face and knowing better than to get between her and whatever she was after, no matter who it was she was headed for.

They'd both seen what had happened to Krell.

Anakin shouted after her, trying to stop her, but Zelina had enough of a head start that she managed to stay just enough ahead of him to avoid being stopped by him, to avoid reason being implanted into a situation so emotionally charged.

She had her own reasoning working overtime in her mind as she passed the soldiers waiting outside to hear what had happened, the look on her face and purpose in her step enough of an answer to tell them their comrade had been killed, and Zelina was on a war path for whoever was responsible.

She wasn't going to kill him—she wasn't an idiot.

But she was going to give him a very clear piece of her mind.

She registered Anakin just behind her as she pushed for the Senate building, even as she took to the skies, weaved through and around the traffic, landed the speeder and hardly remembered to shut off the vehicle as she leapt out of it and headed straight into the Senate, through the many great halls and corridors until she found herself outside of Chancellor Palpatine's office.

"I need to see the Chancellor. It's important," Zelina said tersely to the Red Guards standing at the entrance to his office.

Some distant part of her brain was surprised when they let her through without a word or any kind of resistance, and some red flag registered in her subconscious—a flag she chose to ignore, as she wasn't about to lose her nerve right outside Palpatine's door.

The image of Gambit's body flashed to the forefront of her mind once again, and with blood boiling anew, Zelina entered Palpatine's office without resistance. Behind her, Anakin rounded the corner at full speed as he arrived too late to stop her from doing something he probably would think was stupid.

As Zelina crossed the short distance from the door to Palpatine's desk, she jabbed a finger accusingly in his direction, not giving the man a chance to speak. "How _dare_ you!"

"I beg your pardon?" Palpatine asked in what Zelina perceived as mock innocence, rising from his seat as Zelina stormed up to him. Anakin had reached the room by now, the door not even getting a chance to shut behind her before he made his way inside.

"Zelina!" Anakin said in a warning tone, but Zelina pretended for the moment that Anakin wasn't there.

"Don't play coy with me, it doesn't work on someone who already knows it's a ploy," Zelina snapped. "How dare you execute one of my men without a trial—how _dare_ you! You preach and preach about preserving the Republic and its democracy but it's all a lie."

" _Zelina_!"

"CT-7337, or Gambit as you called him, was a danger to Republic Security, possibly defective, and needed to be removed before he did something worse. He leaked files that incriminated a Republic General—" Palpatine started to reply in an annoyed tone of voice, but Zelina stopped him before he could spin his lies into something strong enough to catch.

"You don't give a damn about my image, Palpatine, don't act differently. You know well that he was trying to defend his general, not incriminate her," Zelina spat. "You sentenced a man to die without trial or any kind of due procedure for trying to defend his commanding officer, and for what? The only motive I can possibly think of, considering our _wonderful_ history, is because he was one of my men, and it was a chance to make me hurt for all the times I stepped on your dainty toes."

Something dangerous flashed in his eyes, and she heard Anakin move closer, sensing more than seeing him reach out to try and grab her and pull her away before she said something truly damning. "Zelina that's enough—"

Zelina didn't budge, and Anakin didn't lay a hand on her. In fact, she gave him a push back in the Force—nothing violent or harmful, just a warning for him to back off. Apparently, it was enough to make him stumble back, though, because Palpatine's gaze flickered towards Anakin for the briefest moment after the action, and Zelina noticed that her friend didn't cross a certain point to try and stop her.

Almost like he physically couldn't.

Zelina splayed her hands on Palpatine's desk, leaning forward as her voice dropped several pitches, gaze boring into Palpatine's, neither of them bothering to mask their disdain and even hatred for one another, though Zelina had the feeling Palpatine wasn't showing _all_ his distaste for her.

"You don't give a damn about the Republic, not even the people I'd wager," she said in a controlled voice, not bothering to veil her emotions, but keeping them firmly in check so that she didn't lose control to them. "I know what you are, and you're no Chancellor. You put up this act of the benevolent old man, but I see through it. I've seen you since day one. You're poison, a smooth-talking serpent hoarding power under the guise of doing what's best, following your own desires and letting the rest burn. You may have fooled everyone else, but not me. I see you. And I'm _done_ quietly playing nice."

A silence fell over the room, the two staring each other down with barely checked ferocity before Palpatine spoke, Zelina leaning away from the desk and removing her hands.

"You've worn out your welcome," Palpatine said coldly, moving to raise a hand, but Zelina cut him off.

"No need to throw me out—I've said my peace, and I'll take my own leave," Zelina said in a cool tone, consciously dropping whatever barrier she'd subconsciously created to keep Anakin at bay, storming out of the office in a storm of still raging but now gradually cooling emotions.

* * *

Sidious watched the girl leave, her anger still potent in the room long after her physical presence had been removed.

He wanted to reflect on what had just happened, but he couldn't yet. The confrontation wasn't entirely over.

There was still Anakin to handle, and the boy was angry as well. Not as furious as she had been, not nearly, but angry, nonetheless.

"Your friend is out of line, Anakin," Sidious remarked, slowly sitting back down as he gazed in the direction Du'ahn had left.

"She had a point, though," Anakin said purposely, which caused Sidious' attention to snap towards the young knight. "Some of what she said went too far, I won't argue with that, but you did just have an innocent man executed without any sort of trial or process. Zelina cares for her men as well, she was never going to take such a slight lightly," Anakin said in an accusing tone.

"He was a threat to Republic Security, Anakin. What he did was treasonous—I couldn't let such a thing slide, especially among the ranks of our soldiers. They're supposed to be engineered in a way that doesn't allow for insubordination and rebellion. I wanted to act quickly to contain this before it escalated into something like the last clone that turned defective," Sidious reasoned, watching Anakin closely.

For once, his words didn't hold.

"Zelina was out of line bursting in here to throw accusations at you, but she wasn't wrong about what's happened to Gambit," Anakin said firmly, folding his arms over his chest as he spoke. "It shouldn't have happened, and it blatantly went against Republic laws and procedure."

"We're at war, Anakin—"

"But that's not an excuse to result to acts like this. It's how good people get killed, like today. Now, if you'll excuse me, Chancellor, but I must respectfully take my leave. I need to go find Zelina and try to calm her down before she does something else rash," Anakin said in a slightly forced tone of voice, giving a small bow before he, too, departed from Sidious' office.

Sidious watched him leave, a dark expression falling across his face once he was alone, turning his chair to face the transparisteel window in his office that overlooked Coruscant.

The girl had displayed abilities that Sidious found more than desirable. Her anger had been powerful, and though it had been his intention for that anger to overpower her and guide her actions, she had shown an ability to control such powerful emotions so they did not overcome her, but still powered her. She'd acted on her anger and her emotions, but she'd done so in a controlled manner that allowed her to still think clearly, minimizing the possibility for a fatal mistake.

Not to mention, she had held back Skywalker without any apparent effort on her part. Anakin had been unable to approach the two of them as she confronted Sidious, that had been clear when Anakin had been pushed back and could not recover the lost distance. The girl hadn't even seemed aware that she'd been restraining the other knight.

Skywalker might have had the greater potential in the Force, but it seemed Du'ahn had greater control, and a stronger grasp on her abilities. Natural talent and instincts he would have to consider them on even footing, as Sidious had seen abilities come naturally to both through the years.

As always, a part of him was greatly tempted to take Du'ahn in to the dark side as well, to harness the girl's power and control for his own means. Not as an apprentice, no, he followed the Sith's rule of two, but that didn't mean he couldn't still use her in some other capacity.

Unfortunately, the girl's hatred, while powerful, was directed at himself in a way that he was sure made it impossible to properly control her so he _could_ utilize her. If she were to fall to the dark side, she would be unrestrained in acting on that hate to kill him, and considering the depth of her hatred of him, nothing he said or did would convince her to work with him instead of against him. If Zelina Du'ahn fell to the dark side, it would be far more of a risk to Sidious than a boon. The girl would undoubtedly kill him the first chance she had. It was far more likely to hurt his plans if she were to fall more than it could potentially help.

And that was why he worked so hard to remove her from the picture. He could not afford for her to fall to the dark side, and as long as she lived, he would have to put even more effort into turning Skywalker. The two had an annoyingly powerful bond that only strengthened with time, despite any efforts on Sidious' part to weaken it, even recently. For a moment, he'd thought he was getting somewhere, driving a wedge between the two, and yet, here they were on the same side against Sidious, Skywalker choosing to pursue Du'ahn instead of remain and speak with Sidious to hear his side.

It was always the blasted girl with him. If he couldn't separate them, and he couldn't turn her, then she needed to be removed in some other way, preferably in a permanent fashion, such as death.

He'd planned for her to be on a rampage when she arrived in his office—driven by unchecked anger, perhaps he could have provoked her into attacking him, and she would have been securely trapped with a charge that could lead only to death. With Skywalker on her tail, it would have been a bonus if the Jedi had been forced to battle, perhaps even execute his _friend_.

Unfortunately, Sidious had underestimated the control she'd managed to develop over her temper—something he wasn't used to doing. One thing he prided himself on was his foresight, and his ability to carefully control the battlefield as he expertly predicted his enemies actions ten steps ahead of where they were even formulating their plans. Perhaps something had changed recently, some sort of training that had enhanced the control of her emotions, something he couldn't have accounted for if he hadn't been aware of it. He would have to do some investigating into the matter if this was in fact the case, both to sate his curiosity and in order to let the knowledge be an active factor in future plans. That way if this plan failed, he could devise another, better informed tactic.

As fascinating as it had been to sense her anger all the way in the Senate building, expecting her to act on the swirling emotions within in an act fitting for her rage that would have been condemning, just for her to control and channel that anger into a safer, productive, clear-sighted action, it messed with his initial plan.

But Sidious was adaptable and quick thinking. While her actions had not been what he was expecting, they were not something he couldn't work with, either.

No…he could still make something out of this. It might not be as effective and swift as his initial plan had been, but if he collected the information he was missing and planned his moves carefully, it could still work.

The pieces would continue to move, and this time, he would not let Du'ahn slip away from him, and Skywalker would fall firmly into Sidious' grasp.


	10. Freefall

While her first thought was to head back to the Jedi Temple, she had the realization that she would not be able to vent her frustrations and emotions to the degree that she wanted to, nor in the way that she wanted to, if she were to head back to the Temple. So, halfway there, she took a detour, heading for the industrial sector, past the operational facilities, and finding her way towards an abandoned, spacious area that didn't even house a warehouse anymore. She had enough presence of mind to make sure there was no important machinery, piping, or anything of the sort before setting down her borrowed speeder somewhere it would be out of the way.

If there was one effective method of wearing oneself out and channeling a flurry of emotions like what Zelina felt now, it was through lightsaber combat and Force abilities. Her lightsaber combat would be rather one sided, but it would still serve it's purpose.

Master Windu had not gone into advanced techniques, or even applying Vaapad to a duel yet, but he had taught her katas, stances, forms to practice, and techniques. The techniques he'd taught her so far were important—how to channel her emotions, control them, make herself a conduit in order to redirect one's dark energy against them, barely maintained self-control while pushing oneself to the limit both physically and within the Force.

And right now, she needed that in order to get everything out of her system.

Unclipping her violet blade from her belt, Zelina activated her lightsaber, swinging it experimentally as if to see how her emotions were affecting her blade work before she settled back into the traditional Vaapad stance.

And then she started going through the forms with swift precision, letting her emotions guide the power of her swings while making a conscious effort to channel those emotions with precision and purpose, to control them rather than let them overwhelm her.

She should have done an exercise like this before barging into the Chancellor's office, though there wasn't much she could do about that now, was there?

Once she started to pick up speed in how quickly she ran through the forms, the Force swelling around her with the barely contained energy of her emotions, she broke from the form, gathering all of the energy to her center before she planted one foot forward on the ground and _pushed_ , watching as a burst of energy ripped forward through the air at the action, tangible with a faint blue glow.

According to Satele, that glow would grow more prominent with the strength of the burst, though it would always remain semi-transparent.

The action had sapped some of her energy, so Zelina threw herself into building up another, running through the Vaapad forms again to once more gather the barely contained energy she had to keep constantly during Vaapad combat. Again, when she felt she'd built up enough energy, she broke from her form and sent a powerful burst soaring across the empty space she'd found to practice in. The burst wasn't as powerful this time, but she was still developing the talent for herself. At the same time, she was rather sure she saw a bowing of the wall that she'd now hit twice with her burst.

Hopefully that wasn't someone's property, somewhere on this planet, that would make her have to pay damages if anyone found out she'd been hitting it with bursts of raw Force energy to vent out her frustrations.

Zelina felt a familiar brush against her consciousness at that moment, and she heaved a world-weary sigh, deactivating her blade and dropping the ground. She simply sat and stared at nothing in particular, trying not to think of anything. She feared if she formed too much of active, conscious thought, she'd think of what she'd just witnessed—and she wasn't ready to face that.

The sound of a speeder reached her ears, the vehicle coming to a stop somewhere behind her. She didn't turn, already well aware of who it was, and knowing that she was probably about to get yelled at. He'd been given plenty of time to prepare his thorough chewing flying around Coruscant trying to find her, no doubt, a task made annoyingly easier with their bond.

She sighed again as he approached, his footsteps full of purpose. "Zelina."

She didn't react other than to pull her knees close to her chest, folding her arms atop them and then resting her chin on her folded arms, now deactivated lightsaber held loosely in one hand.

Anakin had yet to come even with where she sat, but he was already starting in on his heated scolding. "Zelina, what were you thinking? You can't just barge into the office of the _Supreme Chancellor of the Republic_ and verbally attack him like that! You'll be lucky if the Council doesn't hear about this! There's going to be repercussions, and it's bound to make everything that's going on already even worse!"

Still, Zelina said nothing, her gaze fixed and unseeing.

"Well, say something! I know you had enough presence of mind to know what you were doing, you had plenty of time to come to your senses when you were stuck in a speeder on your way there—why didn't you stop yourself? You know better!"

Again, nothing, not even a twitch.

" _Zelina_!"

Something lodged in her throat, and she felt Anakin's presence brush against her consciousness once more. His demeanor shifted, and he carefully kneeled down beside her. "Zelina…" he said again, voice softer, sympathetic, pained, as he sensed what was going on inside her.

Still, she fought back tears, as badly as her body seemed to want to let them spill over. She felt Anakin gently lay a hand on her back, which caused her to crack enough that a tear did spill over, though she wiped it away furiously, burying her face in her arms and tightening her hold on herself in case she was about to cry more, fighting for control once again. She could feel Anakin's silent offer as his presence brushed against hers, closer and closer every moment, trying to wrap her in his comfort.

"It's bad enough that they fight and die for us on the front lines, but they're supposed to be safe here," Zelina said softly, allowing her now-dry face to peek out from its temporary confines. "And look what happened? They're not supposed to die for us here, they're not supposed to be killed defending us from the very people we're fighting to protect. He was killed for what? Politics? To prove a point? A vendetta?"

"The Chancellor's not that kind of man," Anakin said almost on a reflex, but Zelina was prepared, her blade sharp.

"Did you think him the kind of man to sign an innocent man's execution?" she asked, a sentence that made Anakin fall silent. She didn't have the energy to argue about Palpatine, though, and she didn't want to think about the snake.

She wanted Gambit back. She wanted to be able to stop him from releasing that damn footage, she wanted to stop the troopers from firing, she wanted to stand between him and execution like she'd once done for Anakin's men, for Jesse and Fives.

But she hadn't been able to help Fives in the end. Now it seemed she couldn't help Gambit either. It was far too late for both of them.

At the sudden sharp dip in her mood which had already been dark and pained, Anakin shifted closer, putting his arm around her and simply holding her as she fought herself, trying not to break as she stewed in her own hellish thoughts and struggled for a semblance of self control.

* * *

Anakin was right. There were repercussions for Zelina's actions in the Chancellor's office, and it was something that the Council was quick to hear about. She doubted that Anakin had envisioned the scale of those repercussions, or what the Council would find itself faced with discussing.

It was possibly something out of one of Anakin's nightmares.

Apparently, Palpatine had not kept Zelina's actions quiet, but had freely spoken about them. He claimed he only did so with advisors, but considering how rapidly the news spread, she had the feeling he had shared the event with far more then just a few _trusted advisors_. Not that Anakin would believe her suspicions, though she still kept those suspicions within her own confidence. Perhaps later she'd share them with Obi-Wan—he'd listen to her with a reasonable ear. Anakin was too influenced by the man to immediately jump to the Chancellor's defense to really stop and listen with reason.

At this point, she was sure that Palpatine was out to get her, and it only made her hate the man all the more.

Whatever Palpatine had said about the incident, somewhere along the way—and Zelina didn't bother to stop herself from entertaining the thought that this had started with Palpatine himself—it was said that Zelina had threatened the Chancellor. The point had caused what Zelina could only describe as a wildfire. With the rumor that she'd burst into the Chancellor's office and threatened him, combined with the rumors that she was possibly a Separatist Spy or at the very least a Sympathizer…

Well, it made her look like a threat, and an immediate one at that.

And the Republic's Senate was not about to tolerate a Jedi threat so close to home.

The hologram of Mas Amedda was center stage in the Jedi Council room, Zelina standing uncomfortably by the door as he spoke with the Council, who listened with various forms of grimness in their expressions or, if you were Obi-Wan and Anakin, different forms of barely restrained, disbelieving outrage. Of course, Obi-Wan also had a better grip on his emotions than Anakin, which was almost a given, but Zelina knew Obi-Wan enough to recognize when he started having Anakin emotions.

"…Senate has expressed a deep concern over the matter. Whether it started with rumors or not, after this most recent incident, it seems those rumors could hold merit, and must be investigated in case she poses a threat to the Republic. Threatening the Chancellor cannot go ignored, especially considering the recent accusations regarding Du'ahn's loyalties. The Senate wants to put Du'ahn through a Republic Military Tribunal to settle this matter once and for all."

A stir went through the room, and Zelina, Obi-Wan, and Anakin all visibly bristled. The last time the Senate had asked for a Jedi to go through one of those, it had been Ahsoka, and doing so required Zelina to be expelled from the Order so the Republic could try Zelina instead of the Order. The flashbacks were instantaneous, and after what happened to Ahsoka, Zelina wasn't confident that this was going to go much different. The Order treasured its fragile ties to the Senate far too much to hurt those ties over one measly Jedi. They'd already made that abundantly clear.

At the statement, Anakin immediately jumped to Zelina's defense. "All due respect, Chairman, but all of this is outrageously unnecessary. I was in the room from the start of the argument, and she didn't threaten the Chancellor. There's nothing that happened in that room that would require a Military Tribunal. Even if there was something worth concern, a trial among the Order would be enough."

Amedda sent a disinterested glance Anakin's way. "That is for an unbiased jury to decide, Skywalker."

Anakin's expression darkened, as did Obi-Wan's, though neither said anything more to Amedda's holographic face.

Windu's gaze lingered on Anakin for a moment before his attention was turned back to Amedda. "The Council will act as we deem necessary, as always, Chairman. Thank you," Windu said seriously, officially dismissing the chairman, who disappeared in the next instant.

 _Release the hounds_ , Zelina couldn't help but think, now that the attention was fixated solely on her and the mess before her.

Surprisingly, it was not Anakin that spoke first—Obi-Wan beat him to it.

"We are _not_ handing Zelina over to the Republic," he said in a tone of firm finality. "I said it with Ahsoka, and I'll say it again—we need to stand together _with Zelina_."

Anakin's gaze flickered towards Obi-Wan at the statement, and Zelina felt a spark of gratefulness swell towards the older Jedi at his firm support.

"Calm yourself, Obi-Wan—we have yet to hear Du'ahn's side of the story. We're not making that decision yet," Windu chastised him.

"Address the Council, you may, Knight Du'ahn. Explain what occurred in the Chancellor's office, and why, you will," Yoda announced, directing Zelina to stand in the center of the room where Mas Amedda's hologram had been moments before.

Zelina did as she was asked without complaint, trying her best to tune out Anakin's inward fuming and fear, and Obi-Wan's tense anticipation and concern so she could focus on controlling her own raging emotions. Hearing that she was about to become another Ahsoka case did nothing to calm her nerves or worries, and once again she found herself drawing up plans in the back of her mind on some survival instinct she hadn't known she'd possessed.

She'd always been one triggered into fighting, she'd begun to believe she didn't have the instinct to survive by flight.

"I'm not sure if the Council was aware, but one of the 105th was recently arrested for releasing sensitive footage of the battlefield at Ruusan," Zelina began. She had to explain what had been happening for the Council to truly understand what occurred in the Chancellor's office. "I managed to speak to him before he was arrested, to find out why and chastise him for doing something so reckless, and he confirmed he had been trying to defend my image by showing my compassion and commitment on the battlefield. There was no ill intent in the release of the footage, and it was footage of a campaign that had already been fought and won. But I digress, that's a different point," Zelina added hastily when she felt a flash of impatience or annoyance at the detour in her story ripple through a few of the Council Members.

"Before I went to the Chancellor's Office, I was told by members of the 501st that Gambit—the one who released the footage, was being executed, without a trial. I went to try and stop the execution, or at least see if there was anything I could do, but I arrived too late. While there, I heard that Chancellor Palpatine had been the one to give the order to skip the trial and go right to the execution without even informing me, Gambit's General, or even any of the other officers in the 105th or Senator Amidala or Duchess Satine, who were both helping build a case for a trial," Zelina explained. She could feel the flicker of surprise in Anakin and Obi-Wan that their respective significant others had been involved, but she pushed on with her story. "I went to the Senate Building to confront him on his unconstitutional actions that spat in the eye of basic sentient rights and Republic procedure and laws."

Zelina saw a few of the Masters give her a disapproving look at her slightly more impassioned statement, but no one moved to scold her for it.

"And what, specifically, did you say to the Chancellor?" Plo Koon asked.

Zelina had the decency to look abashed. While she firmly believed in everything she said, she also knew, in retrospect, it had not been the wisest thing to say to the face of the most powerful person in the Republic. She was also well aware that she was about to sense quite a bit of collective disapproval from the Council Members for her harsh words and bold accusations.

"It's no secret that the Chancellor and I don't like each other, and quite often aren't on the same page, but I've held my tongue most of the times I don't agree with him. When I went in there, I accused him of putting up a façade meant to trick people into thinking that he cares about the Republic and its principles when really all he cares about is furthering his own agenda. I made a veiled accusation that he had Gambit executed so promptly without a trial because he was one of the men under my control and it was to spite me, though I didn't commit to that accusation considering it is an assumption drawn from my past experience with Palpatine and I knew it didn't have any tangible evidence to back it up. I called him, in essence, corrupt and power hungry, a deceiver of the public who doesn't truly care about the people or the ideals of the Republic, and said that I saw through the façade that he consistently puts on to fool the people who keep him in charge. As for the threat, the only thing I can see that I said that could possibly be taken as a threat might be my closing point that I was done sitting complacently on the sidelines and playing nice, though when I said that, I meant that I wasn't going to be quiet in my observations of what he's done wrong or any corruption I might see any longer. It was in no way a threat to his physical person that someone's trumped it up to be with these new rumors."

Zelina folded her arms over her chest as she spoke, gazing at the Jedi Masters around her. She could see multiple disapproving looks, as she'd suspected, but what she'd said had been the truth, at least as she saw it, and she knew that she wasn't the only one who felt that way, especially among the people in this room.

Well, Anakin was an exception, but she wasn't too concerned about his approval of her harsh words about Palpatine right now. She liked her head where it was, and she wasn't too keen on becoming another Ahsoka case. She was going to defend herself, and that was going to include giving her true, honest opinion of Palpatine, even if Anakin didn't like it.

"You do realize the seriousness of some of your claims?" Ki-Adi Mundi asked her, leaning forward in his seat.

"I do. That doesn't make them any less true," Zelina pointed out, and she saw Windu recline thoughtfully in his seat. "I haven't forgotten what happened with the Zillow Beast, and he did blatantly ignore the laws and procedures of the Republic to execute Gambit, and he has been hoarding power rather than returning it to the Senate as he initially promised he would as this war came to an end. As soon as we find Grievous, which I have faith won't be long, the war will practically be over. Yet he continues to grab more power."

Zelina stopped herself there before what she was discussing on-record could take a treasonous turn. "All I'm saying is that Palpatine has done questionable things, but no one is saying anything about it. When I went into his office, I called him out on his actions, and promised to continue doing so, but I did not _threaten him_."

"Skywalker, you were there," Plo Koon remarked. "Can you confirm what Du'ahn is saying?"

Zelina turned enough to look at Anakin, who was predictably looking displeased by her harsh critique of Palpatine, but still nodded in confirmation, nonetheless. "I was there. Zelina made some harsh accusations about the Chancellor's legitimacy, but she didn't make any threat that should have resulted in an action like this. I thought there might be some kind of discipline with some of her accusations, but not calls for..." Anakin waved a hand in agitation in the direction of where Mas Amedda's hologram had been minutes ago.

"If there's no hold to the claims, then there's no harm in letting them have their trial, is there? There's no evidence to support that Knight Du'ahn is a threat to the Republic, it's just malicious hearsay—nothing would come from it," Saesee Tiin suggested.

"On the contrary," Obi-Wan immediately jumped in, and Zelina was mildly surprised by the older Jedi's fervor as he spoke. "I've spoken with Zelina and several politicians about the severity of the rumors surrounding her recently. They might not hold any solid evidence to convict her in a proper trial, but the majority of the public believes those rumors, including those in the Senate building. Handing her over to be tried in a Military Tribunal would only be throwing her in an acklay nest! They believe that she's a turncoat, proof or not, and they've been calling for blood ever since the rumors started. To give her to the Republic to be tried for crimes she has _not_ committed would be sacrificing an innocent and upstanding member of this Order. We should take what this Council had to learn the hard way with what happened to Ahsoka, and apply it to this situation. The severity of the claims against Zelina is pure propaganda, and we need to stand _with_ her against those who want to crucify an innocent person! Not to mention, she is a part of the Jedi Order, and should be tried by her peers in a fair trial if it is deemed that there is a need for one, which there is _not_."

 _Do they even realize that I'm still here_ , Zelina briefly wondered as Obi-Wan's well-controlled rant came to a brief halt. He'd managed to be judgmental and scathing without sounding angry and impassioned, and she had to give him credit for pulling such an accomplishment off. She noticed Anakin hadn't said anything, but they were also both well aware that he was only on the Council because the Chancellor had forced the issue, and everyone knew how close Zelina and Anakin were. There wasn't much he could say that the Council would take into serious consideration outside of his own witnessing of the incident.

Still, though he remained silent as the Masters went round and round in their arguments, Zelina could feel the brush of his presence, concern and comfort and support, as her fate was debated in front of her, Zelina a silent spectator in the middle of the room. She was grateful for his silent, Force support, and she let him know it, returning the sensation with her own gratitude, their interactions careful and cautious considering they were standing in a room full of Jedi Masters, one of which was _Yoda_ , of course.

"You're too close to this matter, Master Kenobi. If we deny the Senate their trial when they believe that there is a significant Jedi threat towards the Chancellor—" Ki-Adi Mundi started to say.

"It will make it seem like we're in opposition to the Senate? That's the same argument that was presented when we had this conversation about Ahsoka," Obi-Wan interrupted. "There was evidence against Ahsoka, we turned her over to the Republic who was convinced of her guilt, they were going to condemn her, and it turned out she was innocent the entire time. Now there is _no_ solid evidence against Zelina, yet the Republic, who is convinced of her guilt, wants us to turn her over so they can try her. Shouldn't the Council learn from its mistakes _instead_ of repeating them? We should not abandon another one of our Order, _especially_ when her case for innocence is even stronger. This is a Jedi matter, the accusations hold no ground and are complete rumor and hearsay, and it should be dealt with _internally_."

"A compelling point, Obi-Wan makes, whether close to the matter or not, he is," Yoda stated. "But trouble this would bring, for the Order to protect Knight Du'ahn."

"Our already strained ties with the Senate will be hurt," Windu added.

"But convinced of her innocence, I am. Though work to curb her temper, she must, lest make this mistake again, she does," Yoda chided.

Zelina gave a slight bow. "I know, Master Yoda. It's something that I work on regularly. I tend to become impassioned by causes I feel deeply about, including protecting those under my care."

 _Though I cannot find fault in speaking out against something that I know with such a surety to be wrong_ , Zelina added in her head. _Though I can find fault in chewing out the most powerful man in the Republic who has a vendetta against you. Stupid, stupid thing to do, as good as it felt to finally say it to the serpent's face._

"So, we will stand together with Zelina on this? Do things differently this time?" Obi-Wan asked for clarification, looking around at his fellow Jedi Masters.

"I do not wish to see a repeat of what happened to Padawan Tano," Plo Koon rumbled.

"Knight Du'ahn is only the victim of vicious rumor and hearsay, with no actual proof of these accusations, accusations that are even refuted by a first-hand witness," Shaak Ti pointed out.

"Some may claim that Skywalker's refute of the claims are simply a friend protecting a friend," Saesee Tiin warned.

"And there will be much disapproval over our denying the Republic a trial when it is widely believed that the hearsay is actually fact," Ki-Adi Mundi also warned.

"It will damage our relationship with the Senate, and perhaps the Republic even more than it already is...but I see no reason to comply with these demands," Windu added. "We must adhere to the Senate and the wishes of the Republic in order to maintain a good relationship with them, especially since our relationship is already hurting, but from what I can see and what I know about Knight Du'ahn, the claims are false and blown out of proportion. Turning her over would be, as Obi-Wan pointed out, throwing her needlessly into the acklay nest."

"Dangerous, this will be, for the Order, but right, Obi-Wan is. Not repeat the mistakes of the past, we must, but rather learn from them. Protecting the innocent, is not one of our core values, hmm? And innocent of these accusations, Du'ahn is. Settled by the Order, this matter shall be, not by the Republic," Yoda said in a voice full of finality.

Zelina could feel the potent relief roll off Obi-Wan and Anakin at Master Yoda's decision, mixing in with her own relief that almost made her sag where she stood. She had been so sure that she would turn into another Ahsoka, that the Council would value their ties with the Senate more than their values and one small knight in their Order.

Perhaps it helped that she was close with Obi-Wan, that she was training with Windu, and frequently came to Yoda with guidance for her visions in the past. Many of the Jedi Masters here could personally give statements to her character, and while she was unorthodox, and she was a Grey Jedi (in secret) she had not given the Order any reason not to trust her or believe that she wasn't of a good and moral character.

Yoda pointed his gimmer stick at Zelina. "But careful, you must be, if protect you, the Order will. No more outbursts like this, or protect you, we cannot. Careful you must be when traveling outside of the Temple, and mindful at all times of yourself. The threat to yourself, this will not reduce. Invigorate the hostilities, it most likely will," Yoda warned.

Zelina nodded. "I'll be more careful, Master Yoda, I promise," Zelina said softly, giving a respectful and grateful bow, slightly dazed by the unexpected turn this Council Meeting had taken.

"Dismissed, you are. Skywalker too, if wish to speak with Du'ahn, you do. Discuss how to properly go about this, the Council will," Yoda announced, surprising Anakin slightly with his casual dismissal of just Anakin among the Council Members, not because it wasn't something for Anakin to hear, but because Yoda was well aware that Anakin and Zelina needed to talk.

A part of Zelina wished he would have kept Anakin back, considering she was certain Anakin would want to argue about Palpatine.

Giving one last smaller bow, Zelina took her leave, feeling Anakin follow close behind her as she made her way out of the Council Room and out into the halls of the Temple.

Anakin at least waited until they were a fair distance away from the Council Room to pull Zelina aside, bringing the two of them into a currently unused dojo to have the conversation—or rather, the fight—Zelina had felt brewing since she spoke out against Palpatine during the Council Meeting.

He'd let a serious conversation about the Chancellor's Office slide considering what had been happening and the state she'd been in afterwards, but this time, she could tell she was about to get an earful.

She was prepared, though. If Anakin was ready to defend that man after everything that had happened, then she was going to be fully committed to finally saying her complete peace about Palpatine, and hopefully this time he would listen.

"Zelina, I know you and the Chancellor practically hate each other, but this is getting out of hand. You can't make accusations like that, it's almost treasonous," Anakin opened, and the last part of his statement instantly struck a nerve.

"Treasonous?" Zelina said incredulously. "I didn't know it was treason to point out something fishy or flawed, in fact, I thought it was every individual's duty to speak up when they see something that they don't think is right. This is serious, Anakin, I could get tried as a traitor because I called Palpatine out—why are you still defending him?"

"Why are you so intent on painting him as a bad man, he's not, he's a good man, one of the best I know—" Anakin started to counter, but Zelina cut him off.

"Because he's _not_ , Anakin, he's _never_ been a good man, he just acts that way around you because he considers you an _asset_ ," Zelina said sharply. "When we were _children_ I had a bad feeling about him, from the very start, his presence felt _wrong_ to me. And every time he would separate you from anyone else he would start to make you doubt the people who cared about you, or he'd say something that riled your anger and bolstered your pride in an unhealthy way. I was wary every time you came out of a meeting with Palpatine because half the time you came out of those meetings with darkness around you. He has _never_ been a good influence on you, and that's half the reason why I can't stand the man—because he brings out the worst in you. But I always held my peace because I hated fighting with you, and I value our friendship above everything else, I really do, and I didn't want to jeopardize it because you viewed him in this wonderful light while I just saw all these terrible things he was doing, and what he was doing to you, and how subtle he was about it all, but now, with this, Anakin, I won't stay quiet about it anymore, because I'm _worried_ about you and I am _tired_ of saying nothing and letting him get away with it."

"Then there's _literally_ everything else! He pushed to invade the public's privacy, something I was surprised you never felt any concern over considering your relationship with Padme hinges on privacy. He wanted to slay the Zillow Beast and was going to do it behind everyone's backs. He tried to force his way onto Satine's homeplanet despite her protests, when she was _right_ about the situation on Mandalore. He's pushed for all these different acts that stomps all over personal rights, he's taken powers that he doesn't need to further the war effort, he's manipulated you into doing something more than once, and now this? Anakin, I'm _hurt_ that you're still defending him after this—this has been a personal attack on me since day one!"

"Now you're blaming _all of this_ on Palpatine?" Anakin asked incredulously, the anger clear in his voice.

"I don't have proof, but I can feel it, Anakin, and even though there's no physical evidence, the proof is _there_! When I was trying to get an investigation started on the Ruusanians, I was blocked every corner I took by someone _high up_ in the Senate, Padme and Satine confirmed as much. There was so much legal paperwork and procedure suddenly backing up the system Padme and Satine had a headache trying to wade through it all. And the only person who feels this much animosity towards me in the Senate that's high up is Palpatine. Then there's everything that's happening _right now_. He had Gambit executed, Anakin. No trial, no telling me or any other commanding officer in the 105th or the politicians that were going to represent him, he just had him killed. He didn't have any possible motivation to do so, either, other than Gambit was a 105th member, one of my men, and now, after what happened in the office, I'm being accused of threatening him, a claim that's being framed so that I seem like a threat to the security of the Republic, and he says nothing? If he was as good of a man as you keep claiming he is, he'd be setting this record straight, not letting these rumors and accusations spiral into something as life-threatening as it is for me now. Part of me even wants to say that he's the one who probably said that I threatened him when I came into his office. I'll never be able to prove it, and he'll deny it to your face till he's in the ground, but I've got this part of me that just _knows_ that's where this started."

Zelina was breathing heavier by the time she was done with her rant, finally letting everything she'd been bottling up about Palpatine flow forth in one raging torrent for Anakin to hear. She'd taken it and taken it and taken it, but this was too much for her to continue to stay silent.

"He's playing you, Anakin. Even when we were younger, I remember hearing him put down everyone else around you, everyone who cares about and supports you, trying to drive a wedge between you and anyone _but_ him, and I'll bet it hasn't stopped, I'll bet it's still going at it to this day. And I'm not going to be quiet about it anymore, whether you want to hear it or not."

Zelina paused, taking a long, careful breath. Anakin was understandably displeased, but he didn't quite have a counter-argument for her. She was going to let him off easy at the end, however, because her anger was at Palpatine, _not_ Anakin.

Reaching out, she carefully took his hand, looking him in the eyes. "Ultimately, its not up to me. It's your choice, you're the one who decides who you're around, who you associate with and who you trust. You're the only one who can make the decisions for you." She squeezed his hand, willing him to feel the sincerity in her next words, opening herself up to him in the Force so he would _know_ that what she said next was true. "I've never liked or trusted Palpatine. But I have _always_ supported and cared for you, Anakin, deeply. That's never going to change. You will always have my support, and I will always be here for you if and when you need me. I will always be on your side, but I don't have to like Palpatine to do so. It's _you_ I care about and support, Anakin, not him. And I know you hate this…division that's come out of Palpatine's and my hatred of each other, but it will never make me abandon you, okay? I need you to know that—I don't want you to ever feel like I'm not with you or won't be there for you because of Palpatine. You've always come first with me, and that's not going to change. _You always have me_ , Anakin, you need to remember that."

"But do I really?" Anakin challenged in a quiet voice. He could feel her sincerity, no doubt, but Anakin was going to be Anakin. Doubt was one thing that tended to plague his mind, especially recently. "If you hate him so much, can I really come to you with support about anything if what I need support with is about Palpatine?"

He had a point, but she was prepared.

"I promise to give you my honest opinion. It's far better than lying to you—I refuse to be one of those people," Zelina told him. "I might not agree, but I will never hold a difference of opinion against you, it's only natural. We aren't going to agree on everything, Anakin, just like we can't win every battle. But I can still care about you and support you whenever and however I can despite those differences. I will always be in your corner. Okay?"

Anakin nodded slowly, looking up at the ceiling for a second as he gathered himself and tried to cool his temper and raging emotions. "Everything's such a mess now."

Zelina laughed softly. "I've been saying that forever now. Welcome to my universe."

"Will you be okay? For the rest of the day, I mean. Would you like some company, or...?"

"I think I'm just going to go home and rest, if you don't mind. It's been…trying, ever since we came back to Coruscant. I need to simply pause the galaxy for a moment. I suggest you go see your wife, in the meantime. It always does you some good to go see her, and I think you need the pick-me-up as well."

At the mention of Padme and Anakin's own recent troubles, he shifted uncomfortably.

"You're still having the nightmares, aren't you?"

"…Yes."

Zelina squeezed his hand tightly at his answer. "She'll be all right, Anakin. I promise. Now go spend some time with her, I'm sure you both need it."

They both made their way out of the dojo, Zelina starting to head in one direction for the apartments, and Anakin headed in the other for the speeder pool, before Zelina stopped, catching Anakin's attention before he could get too far as a thought occurred to her.

"Oh, and Anakin?" Anakin turned, expectant. "You'll have to tell me what Palpatine says—I'm curious to know how he's going to dig himself out of this one with you."


	11. Eyes Always Watching

Not for the first time in the past fifteen or so years, Sidious found himself fuming over Zelina Du'ahn. Once again, she had managed to slip through his fingers, and Sidious was starting to find the anomalies in his plans that consistently showed up around her to be the bane of his existence. He had not expected that Council of Jedi idiots to actually rally to Du'ahn's defense and refuse the Senate a Military Tribunal. After what happened with Skywalker's Padawan, it was clear that they valued their ties to the Republic more than one Jedi, and yet they let those ties be threatened for this damn child.

Of course, the Jedi's relationship with the Republic was already destroyed, no matter what they thought, though they at least had the illusion of thinking they still had some semblance of good standing with the public.

Still, their blatant refusal kept Sidious from manipulating the trial to assure Du'ahn's execution kept the girl in the playing field for Skywalker longer. It also denied Sidious the ability to sever Skywalker's last ties with the Council while simultaneously pushing the boy over to the dark side.

No matter, he had other plans—while he detested the setback, he wasn't unprepared. He had other plans in motion to turn Skywalker, and if the public or the Senate didn't lash out demanding blood, she'd perish when the Jedi Temple burned.

This was not a loss—simply a setback. Plus, the Senate was furious that the Order had denied their request for "A fair trial against a perceived Republic threat." The Council would be feeling the pressure for their protection of Du'ahn—they would see just how committed they were to standing beside the girl. Sidious was willing to wager that once the pressure became too much for the Order, Du'ahn would end up under Republic control anyway, with the Order's image permanently and irreversibly damaged.

* * *

" _Control_ your emotions, Du'ahn, do not use them! There is a distinct difference between the two, and you keep slipping over that line. Vaapad requires you to channel darkness into the duel, not into yourself. You accept your opponent's darkness only enough to redirect that energy into the duel to power your own assault. If you give into your emotions during the battle, then you are fighting as a Sith, not a Jedi."

"Yes, Master Windu."

"You have improved, your threshold before you give into your emotions has increased, but that threshold should eventually become non-existent. That will be when you can safely use the form, when you begin to reach mastery. You control your emotions, the form, the darkness in the battle, but it does not control _you_. Even after mastery of the form, you must remain consistently vigilant, or you will fall to arrogance and pride, and the form will consume you."

"Understood, Master Windu."

"Take a moment to recollect yourself, and we shall try again."

"Yes, Master Windu."

Considering the restricted nature of Vaapad, whenever Zelina and Windu trained, it was in a dojo that had been reserved specifically for their lessons, behind a locked door so no one could interrupt and observe Windu's teachings. By now, Zelina was used to the secretive nature of the training, and hadn't been against it due to her extensive experience in keeping secrets, mostly curtesy of Anakin.

As Windu said, she was struggling with the concept of channeling without using her emotions in lightsaber combat. It was a fine line to walk, but she'd been practicing vigorously to master the aspect. It was a concept in Vaapad training that she actually admired—harnessing one's emotions without being controlled by them. She could act on protectiveness without being blinded to a threat or blocked from the insight needed to perceive a danger because she managed to retain her focus through her control of her emotions.

They needed to teach that more often—more than a few Jedi could benefit from learning to control their emotions rather than suppressing them constantly, as many seemed to interpret the Order's teachings as wanting them to do.

Tucking the idle observation aside for later examination, Zelina returned to her previous spot in the dojo, as did Windu. She didn't enter the Vaapad starting stance yet, knowing from a hard-learned lesson that Windu would take that as her sign that she was ready. Instead, she took the moment to calm and center herself once more, to come back from the edge that Vaapad repeatedly required its practitioners to visit.

After she'd found her center, she focused on Anakin. She could have used her frustrations and anger at everything that had been happening recently as fuel, but under the eye of Windu, when she was supposed to be learning Vaapad and had strict restrictions she had to adhere to while she was learning or he would cease their lessons, she was going to stick to the safer impassioned feelings. She could focus on her protectiveness over her friends and loved ones. Her concern and frustrations with the recent lack of justice she felt was a safe enough feeling to draw on. Then of course there would be the heat of the battle.

Her other feelings were simply her kindling.

 _Control it, control it, don't use it, channel it_ , Zelina mentally reminded herself, standing across from Master Windu before she once again settled into Vaapad's starting position.

She'd hardly raised her violet blade before Windu's own purple lightsaber clashed with hers, immediately throwing her into the heat of a lightsaber duel.

Windu was far more aggressive than Ur-Sema, Aayla Secura, or Obi-Wan had ever been while training her—she'd taken Soresu and Ataru lessons from Obi-Wan considering his skill in those areas—but it _did_ remind her of sparring with Anakin or fighting Maul. At least she wasn't entirely unprepared for ferocious attacks.

The difference was Windu was using Vaapad and was a Jedi Master.

It also, however, gave her the chance to truly test herself, even if she was learning an entirely new form with which she had no previous exposure. Windu had questioned her when in their first training session she had brought out only one lightsaber, not both. Zelina had answered that she wanted to become proficient with one lightsaber in the form before she incorporated two, due to her desire to be versatile with how many weapons and forms she could use. It wouldn't do her any good if for some reason she lost one of her lightsabers in battle, and suddenly found herself forced to fight with one blade and completely unprepared to do so. Knowing how to fight with one or both was essential in Zelina's mind. Considering she'd first learned how to wield one blade for most of her life, and had only recently acquired a second, she committed to learning Vaapad in a similar style. Single blade first, dual blades later.

Their violet blades met in furious volleys, this hiss of clashing lightsabers echoing around the room as they traded blows, Zelina admittedly putting all of her focus into her combat simply to keep up with Windu. She let herself draw on the energy the exhilaration of the battle produced, however, cycling that energy back into her blows. She would have liked to say that the longer the battle went on, the more even-footing she found herself fighting Windu with, but she wasn't the only one feeding off of the battle's energy. As Zelina fell into the ferocity of the battle, which enhanced her own skills, so did Windu.

Since the spar was only becoming that much more difficult, Zelina allowed herself to draw on other emotions, the ones directed at Palpatine, at Gambit's execution, at the Order and the War. She was careful not to draw on them enough to garner negative attention from Windu, but it was a good source of fuel for her current battle.

She held no doubts that Windu noticed, considering how closely he watched her during their training sessions. While initially his sharp eye was doubtlessly meant to spot any warning signs that Vaapad was corrupting her, she couldn't help but think that, with recent events, he was also watching her in general. Making sure that there weren't any signs of impending betrayal, as the Republic seemed intent to believe at this point.

The pressure on the Council to turn Zelina over to the Republic had only worsened, and while Zelina did her best not to give the matter too much attention, especially with everything else on her mind, it was glaringly obvious. She appreciated the Council standing behind (or rather, in front of) her instead of abandoning her as they'd done with Ahsoka, though it also embittered her. They hadn't given Ahsoka the same trust. In fact, it was probably what happened to Ahsoka that influenced their decision now, more than Zelina's character and deeds, especially since Zelina only felt like the attention on her person had only increased since the Republic made their demands. And how long would they last? Eventually the Council would decide that the pressure they were feeling from the Republic wasn't worth the career of one Jedi Knight. Eventually she would be thrown to the nexus.

As much as she knew that was a very Anakin line of thinking for her to display, she also knew she'd be ignorant not to be aware of the fact it was an all-too-real possibility.

Windu disarmed Zelina.

She came to a halt as Windu's purple blade suddenly pointed itself at her chest. "Your frustration got the better of you," he scolded. "The smallest moment is all it takes. You need _constant_ focus, _consistent_ control. Again."

Zelina retrieved her lightsaber, refocused herself, and the cycle began anew.

* * *

"Now, if I hear about any of you using this to hide from Jedi Masters or try and sneak somewhere you shouldn't be, you're going to be in serious trouble. While everyone else continues to learn these skills, I'll be having you do lightsaber form drills or studying meditation. Understood?"

"Yes, Master Du'ahn," came a chorus of little voices. Zelina hummed at their acknowledgement, starting her slow pacing yet again-she'd found it hard to stand in one place and teach. For some reason, it felt strange to her. She preferred to be moving.

" I don't expect any of you to be at such a skill level with this ability anytime soon, but I could be wrong—there may be little prodigies among you, which is why I'm giving the warning now," she added with a small smile, earning a few giggles from the younglings gathered in the classroom for the lesson. "Now, who can tell me what Force stealth is?"

A young togruta child, Latoria, raised her hand. She waited until Zelina nodded at her to speak. "When a Jedi hides from the Force."

Zelina had to hide a smile. "Not quite, Latoria, but good try. Force Stealth is when a Force User hides their presence in the Force from other Force Sensitives. Now, there are various forms of this concealment, which can be used under different circumstances. There are creatures in the galaxy that can detect Force-Users, creatures that hunt using the Force, or that hunt smaller prey that gives off a presence similar to a Jedi, which means a Jedi, if encountering these predators, can be mistaken for prey..."

Zelina continued with her lesson, explaining the application and theory of the Force Stealth ability, despite it being a slightly more advanced theory. She'd felt inspired to teach it, despite it's more intermediate ranking as far as Force Abilities went. Depending on the extent of the concealment, it could also be considered an ability of advanced, expert, even Mastery.

As she'd said earlier, she didn't expect any of the students to suddenly start disappearing from the Force radars of Knights and Masters around the Temple. Still, it didn't hurt to give a few lessons and see how far they could get at their level to at least give them a foundation for a skill that could prove useful later in life.

After she finished discussing the ability and explaining it to her young students, she guided them through exercises meant to help them execute the ability. A few of the students managed to go so far as to douse their apparent strength in the Force, albeit slightly, but it was far more than Zelina had expected. Latoria was one of those individuals, the girl apparently rather enthused about her newfound grasp on the ability.

Considering their surprising aptitude for the ability—well, most of them—and Zelina's recent inspiration, she decided to dedicate a few days or more to the lesson, depending on how she was feeling about it and how the lessons would continue to progress. Maybe they'd be able to mute their presences considerably with more practice, or at the very least, learn to master the skill before most in their generation.

It would be interesting to see, and she saw no reason not to guide the younglings down this path of discovery, especially since she couldn't see anything truly harmful about teaching it to them. The Council never specified what she should teach the younglings, only that she should teach, leaving the topics open to her decisions and the will of the Force.

Speaking of the Council...she hadn't said anything, or made any conscious acknowledgement of the fact that she did not miss the silent spectator in the form of Shaak Ti as she taught her students, the Togruta woman keeping to herself and simply observing in the corner.

As much faith as they had decided to put in her while she was in the Council Room, Zelina couldn't help but feel like there were far more eyes on her than there should have been if they truly believed she was completely innocent of the charges. The watchful eyes only reinforced her suspicions that the Republic was putting a lot of pressure on the Council to relinquish Zelina to their judgment.

Again, Zelina wondered how long their protection would last, and again, Zelina found herself making plans in the back of her mind she'd never thought she'd be making.

* * *

As if the universe had officially decided that it was out to get her, Zelina received news that only made her situation worse, in her mind.

Obi-Wan, her core supporter in the Council who had a voice the Council actually listened to—sorry, Anakin, she mentally apologized—was being sent back to the front lines, after General Grievous, no less.

Her first instinct was not as someone who realized the precarious situation it put her in. Instead, her first thought was the sudden overwhelming drive to go with him back to the front lines. Part of it was possibly to escape the politics that were plaguing her here on Coruscant, threatening her very life, except with a firing squad of rumors and hearsay rather than actual blasters—so far. The other part of that motivation was the fact that it was Grievous. Obi-Wan was going after her former master's killer alone. While they had both progressed considerably throughout the war, and Obi-Wan was indeed a skilled general, Jedi, and lightsaber combatant, she would feel better if he had back-up. Not to mention, because Grievous had killed Ur-Sema, Zelina felt like if it was going to be the end of the droid general, she had to be there.

Admittedly, that need for revenge had diminished as the war dragged on, dulled by her growing maturity and her weariness of the war, though the desire to see him brought to justice never wavered. She hadn't forgotten how she'd sworn the day of Ur-Sema's funeral to bring her killer to justice.

And yet...she did not speak up about her desire, her nigh need to join Obi-Wan in hunting Grievous.

Partially because she knew the main, glaring reason that she was not about to be sent back to the front lines or anywhere off-world anytime soon.

The blasted case questioning her loyalty. Granted, she'd probably be safer in the middle of a battlefield on the front lines with her men, but the Council needed her on Coruscant under their constant, watchful gaze to monitor her for any disloyalty. Plus, if they were to change their minds and hand her over to the Republic, they were going to need her on-hand where there might not be as big of an impact, as opposed to if they were to change their minds and ended up pulling her out in the middle of some crucial, high-profile battle.

And again, she was sure that the Republic wouldn't take too kindly to the perceived traitor being sent right back to the front lines in charge of Republic forces fighting separatists when there were still suspicions circulating her. Zelina was kept back on Coruscant because of the situation that had spiraled out of control regarding her, and it only made Zelina despise her situation all the more.

Still, as Zelina walked with Anakin and Obi-Wan towards his docked flagship, she couldn't stifle the pit in her stomach, the sense of a bad omen looming over her head telling her that Obi-Wan's departure would result in nothing good, that she needed to start preparing more fervently for a storm.

A part of her couldn't help but feel it suspicious her strongest supporter (besides Anakin) on the Council was being sent away as the conflict around her heated. Some of the protesters outside of the Temple were now protesting her instead of just the war.

"You're going to need me on this one, Master. Me or Zelina. In fact, Zelina would be a perfect candidate to go with you on this—she's got her own reasons to hunt down Grievous, and she's stood toe-to-toe with him before," Anakin said as they approached the loading ramp.

"Oh, I agree," Obi-Wan said calmly. "However, with everything going on, it wouldn't help if Zelina were to be sent back to the front lines, especially on a high-profile mission like this."

"I agree with Obi-Wan," Zelina said softly, drawing Anakin's attention almost immediately. No doubt he'd expected her to join his side in insisting she go. "I want to go, believe me, there's nothing I'd like more. But he's right—with everything going on, it wouldn't look good—and I've got enough things to list on my "this doesn't look good" list right now without adding to them."

"Not to mention this could turn out just to be another wild bantha chase," Obi-Wan added.

"Master," Anakin said suddenly, drawing their small group to a halt. Anakin sighed, shuffling his feet ever so slightly. "I've disappointed you," he eventually said, causing Obi-Wan's eyebrows to raise marginally in surprise.

"I haven't been very appreciative of your training. I've been arrogant...and I apologize." He looked away for a moment. "I've just been so _frustrated_ with the Council."

 _It's not hard to think why, with everything that's happened since this blasted war started_ , Zelina couldn't help but think, though she was greatly pleased to see him acknowledging his faults. It was a nice step in the right direction, something she needed to see with all the negativity and darkness going around recently.

Obi-Wan smiled, enough that there was a slight crinkling around his twinkling eyes as he stepped closer to make his point and make sure Anakin understood his sincerity.

"You are strong and wise, Anakin, and I am _very_ proud of you. I have trained you since you were a small boy—I have taught you everything I know, and you have become a far greater Jedi than I could ever hope to be."

Anakin smiled, looking down as Obi-Wan's words struck a cord with him. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan continued.

"But be _patient_ , Anakin. It will not be long before the Council makes you a Jedi Master." With that, Obi-Wan gave him a reassuring smile, one that Obi-Wan returned.

Then they both turned to look at Zelina, who was looking at them both proudly with a hand over her heart and a slight glisten to her eyes—no tears, just a suspicious shininess.

"Oh, don't mind me, I'm just brimming with pride over my two boys right now," she said with a wide smile and a dismissive wave of her hand, the next moment gesturing with the same hand for them both to come over to where she was standing. "Come here, I wanna give you both a hug—no complaining."

Obi-Wan snorted softly, and Anakin rolled his eyes. "Zelina…"

"I said no complaining, Skywalker, now get yourself over here so I can give you a hug."

Realizing she was serious, both men allowed her to pull them in for a tight hug, one arm around each. Both of them returned with a small pat on her back before she reluctantly released them both, sighing.

"Well...we probably shouldn't keep you much longer," she said begrudgingly, and Obi-Wan gave her a small smile in answer, turning to make his way down the ramp and on-board his ship. Before he could get too far, Anakin stepped forward.

"Obi-Wan," he called, and Obi-Wan turned enough to give Anakin his attention once more. "May the Force be with you."

Obi-Wan's smile returned once again. "Goodbye, old friend. May the Force be with you."

As Obi-Wan made his way down the ramp, Anakin bowed his head, a faint smile on his face that slowly disappeared before he looked back up, an unsettled expression on his face. Zelina came to stand beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"He'll be all right—you'll see. Obi-Wan's perfectly capable of handling himself," Zelina murmured, rubbing his back comfortingly while they watched the ramp detract as the ship prepared to depart.

"I still wish he wasn't going alone. Or better yet, that he was staying here," Anakin murmured.

"Well…at least if he's successful, it will mean the end of the war. That should take a few worries off our list, shouldn't it?"

"Not the biggest ones."

Obi-Wan's flagship lifted into the air, the other ships making the small fleet that would go with him following soon after. Gently, Zelina pulled Anakin away from the loading docs of the base, guiding him back where they'd parked their speeders.

"How are you doing with all of that, by the way? I know we've both had a lot on our minds and have been kept almost too busy to really see each other, but I haven't forgotten. You should know I've been practicing every day—I've gotten pretty good at it, too. The healers in the Halls of Healing say at this rate I'll be a real asset on the front lines, being such a skilled fighter and leader as well as a healer," Zelina said, admittedly proud of herself. Anakin only looked slightly assured by her statement.

"The dreams aren't any better. They're actually clearer, more frequent…I sometimes have them when I'm awake," Anakin said softly, and Zelina pulled them both to a stop under cover of darkness. "Sometimes I see Obi-Wan there. Sometimes you're there. Every time, Padme dies. Whatever we're doing, it's not enough."

Zelina squeezed his arm. "It's enough, Anakin—"

"How could you know that?" Anakin cut her off. "You're not the one having these dreams, Zelina. Whatever we're doing, it has to be wrong if they're only getting worse!"

"Anakin, listen to me," Zelina said carefully. "Padme is perfectly healthy. Her doctor takes regular tests to make sure there's no abnormalities, she's doing everything she's supposed to for a healthy pregnancy, and I even check in regularly to make sure that everything continues to go smoothly. If something goes wrong with her pregnancy, it's not going to be because of an internal issue. I've practiced healing every chance I get, she's done her part…you need to do yours to avoid making this a self-fulfilling prophecy. I thought I told you not to fixate on it?"

"It's hard not to fixate when the visions are plaguing me all the time, Zelina," Anakin hissed, looking away and casting his gaze around as if to make sure no one could hear. He hesitated, unable to look her in the eyes for a moment. "I…I've heard of an ability…one to stop people from dying," he said carefully.

A shiver went down Zelina's spine. She didn't like the sound of that. "What kind of ability?"

"I think…if I could learn it, it could stop Padme from dying, no matter what it is that goes wrong. I think it could be a way to stop my visions from coming true," Anakin said, the words coming out in a rush, as if he'd been bottling this information for a while and needed to get it out, to vent, to purge, to tell someone he truly could trust it to see if he was sane, if he could dare to hope.

Zelina didn't want to trample on his hope, but what she was hearing sounded dangerous, and she had the feeling she knew where this ability fell categorically, considering he had neglected to mention that detail. "It's a dark side power, isn't it?"

"Zelina, if this could save Padme from my visions, does it really matter?" Anakin asked in a low, quick tone of voice. Something squirmed in Zelina's gut, and she found it hard to clamp down on her nerves. "I thought you said you supported me?"

 _Don't abuse what I said like that_ , Zelina couldn't help but think.

"I do, Anakin, you can't really doubt that after everything we've been through together," Zelina whispered. "But…Anakin, you struggle with your inner darkness already. Using a dark side power like this, if you were to learn it without the dark side consuming you…learning it alone could cost you everything that makes you who you are, but if by some miracle it didn't, the ability itself would surely finish the job. Dark side abilities don't come without a price— _especially_ the powerful ones."

"If it saves Padme, it would be worth it, though," Anakin argued.

"No, it wouldn't. Not if it cost you who you are, Anakin. After Luke's born, your family is going to need you, Anakin. You, as you are now. Not someone else, twisted by the dark side."

Anakin gripped her arms, willing her to understand what he was trying to get her to see. "This could be my only chance to save her, Zelina!"

"No, it's not," Zelina said firmly, gripping his arms in return and refusing to let go. "Anakin, you have _me_. And if I were to work with you, then our chances for helping her if something were to go wrong would practically double, maybe more. Besides, it's not death you're trying to treat, it's the cause. By the time we're trying to cure death, it's too late, we should be focusing on trying to prevent or fix whatever _causes_ her death in your visions, which we _are_."

Zelina did her own cursory look around to make sure no one was nearby to hear them. "What you're suggesting, this dark side power, Anakin, the cost may be more than you can afford. The dark side takes far more than it gives. To stop death, I wouldn't be surprised if such a thing required another person, or people, to die. Would you really willingly kill an innocent, or innocents?"

Anakin was hesitating now, she could see him rethinking, but struggling to hold on to his hope. "It wouldn't have to be someone innocent. If it was a criminal, someone…someone really bad—"

"There's no telling the effect that could have on Padme," Zelina said sharply. "Follow that hypothetical beyond saving her, think of the repercussions. If you used the life force of someone bad, evil, _whatever_ , you're transferring their life force into Padme. What if you put something in your wife that can't be reversed, that corrupts her? That's why I'm saying it would have to be an innocent. Yes, you might save Padme if this ability exists and you manage to learn and perfect it before she gives birth; but it would cost you who you are, Anakin, and considering that your family will need you after this, you can't _afford_ for it to cost you who you are."

He didn't answer her hypothetical scenario. Instead, he looked at her with fear in his eyes, the two of them still clutching to each other's arms. "I can't lose her, Zee. And I…I think I'm going to. No matter what we do."

Zelina shook him lightly. "You always doubt, Ani, always and perpetually. Have some faith in me, please. I'm doing everything I can to protect Padme. Padme is doing everything she can to protect herself and your child. You can't panic—if anything is going to trigger something drastic that will put her at risk, it's panicking. Trust us, _please_."

"Generals," a passing trooper suddenly said, snapping them both out of their intense concentration. Anakin glanced around at how close they were to the outside of the base, close to civilian territory, and his grip on Zelina's arms turned protective.

"We should get you out of here. Don't want to put you at risk with any disgruntled civilians," Anakin murmured. Zelina didn't miss that he hadn't promised anything, and his words still bothered her.

_Please don't do anything reckless, Anakin._

Sadly, she was well aware that reckless was a knee-jerk response for Anakin.

She needed to tell Padme. She should be aware her husband had something stupid circulating in his head. Maybe the combined effort of Zelina and Padme would be able to talk Anakin off of the proverbial edge he might find himself on if he kept entertaining these thoughts of this dark side ability he'd heard about.

Just another thing for her to add to her growing list of things to do and worry about.

Though part of her also couldn't help but wonder…where had he heard about such an ability in the first place?


	12. Strafed

After what happened with Gambit, a trip to visit her men was long overdue. Despite all of her training and teaching and, regrettably, hiding, Zelina made it a point to slip away from the Temple so that she could see the 105th. Yoda had advised caution while traveling outside the Temple, considering her current social status, but he hadn't forbidden she step outside of the Temple-otherwise she wouldn't have been allowed to go say goodbye to Obi-Wan as he headed for Utapau.

That didn't mean she was going to be stupid and reckless while out and about Coruscant-she was well aware that some people believed her to be a traitor, and considering she'd seen the Ruusanian prisoner transport blow up right before her eyes, she was also well aware of the fact that the people weren't going to be shy about acting on their frustrations if they felt strongly enough about it.

Considering the outcry that was currently plaguing her, there were plenty of people on Coruscant who felt strongly and negatively about her.

With that danger in mind, Zelina made her trip to Coruscant's military base quick and to the point, avoiding the more populated routes and traffic to the best of her ability without exposing herself out in the open too long. She hadn't realized how paranoid she was over this mess until she found herself watching any speeder that came within a hundred mile radius like it was a droideka she'd just spotted headed in her direction.

Even at the base, she wasn't oblivious to the looks she received from soldiers who had never worked with her, who didn't know her outside of the recent accusations surrounding her. It made her uneasy, something she never thought she'd feel around the Republic's soldiers, and she doubled her pace to the section of the base that housed her 105th.

She was spotted as soon as she walked through the door into the first section of hallways bunking the lower ranking soldiers. A cacophony of 'General' followed her, and she made it a point to give a warm smile and a nod to every soldier she passed, murmuring her own greetings. The sudden switch in atmosphere, from constant, suspicious eyes, sometimes even accusing, to warm welcome, acceptance, and trust, was one she hadn't even realized she'd been so devoid of recently.

She kept going until she reached the officer and arc-trooper quarters, unable to help her gaze from drifting in the direction of Gambit's quarters.

"General Du'ahn!" came a familiar voice, and Zelina turned to see Cruiser approaching her with deep-seated concern etched on every feature. "We weren't expecting you here-has something happened?"

"No more than what's becoming the usual," Zelina said with a grimace. "I found time to slip away from the Temple so I could come visit the men. I've been wanting to ever since what happened to Gambit," Zelina finished quietly.

Cruiser's countenance softened considerably. "It's much appreciated, Ma'am."

Zelina nodded towards the few who had stuck their heads out of their rooms to see what was going on. "Why don't you scrounge up a sabacc set and whoever wants to come, and we'll go have a night out on me to celebrate him?"

"Sounds like the kind of night out he'd want us to have," Cruiser remarked, and he left the room to start gathering some attendees and the sabacc set she'd requested.

* * *

Zelina had a limit for how many drinks she could buy for her men before she couldn't afford it anymore—or rather, before she reached the point she'd be receiving a scolding from the Council over how much of Jedi finances she'd spent on drinking and leisure time for her men. It had already been agreed that was about the point that the betting would start to include exemption from the bill. Zelina was already exempt considering she'd already be paying the majority of the bill. Her men were picking up anything that went over her limit.

When they'd settled at a large table to play, Zelina had almost instantly been called out.

"No Jedi trickery, all right, General? It's an unfair advantage," Nex insisted.

"I promise, no unfair use of the Force during these games," Zelina replied, holding a hand over her heart mostly for show.

"I don't feel like losing most of what little credits I already have cause you're reading all our bluffs in that mystical Force of yours," Keen-eye muttered bitterly.

"Still salty over that, Keen-eye? You shouldn't have bet so much with such a terrible hand."

Keen-eye only grumbled a few curses under his breath in response.

* * *

After several tries, their waitress had also accepted that while all the boys were going to be drinking, Zelina wasn't going to touch a single glass. She had to turn the woman's offer for Zelina to have a round as well as the boys down several times before it became clear to the woman that she wasn't going to be taking any drinks.

When their current round ended, Bruiser being the surprise winner of the pot, Zelina stopped everyone from jumping into the next round while she saw a brief window.

"All right, all right, while I'm sure some of you are very happy with your winnings and some would very much like to have more chances to leave with a little more," Zelina said with a laugh, nodding towards Pollix who was grumbling about only having a few credits left to bet. She sobered quickly. "I'd like to take a moment to make a toast to the person we're all here for. I know I don't have a drink to toast with, due to one of my many quirks, but that doesn't mean I can't say anything."

Zelina straightened, looking around at the collection of now somber faces. "To Gambit. A fiercely loyal man, a friend, a brother, and a soldier who was never afraid of taking risks…may he finally find some peace," Zelina said softly.

"To Gambit," came a chorus of voices, quickly followed by the chinking of glasses ranging from nigh empty to nearly full.

 _And may his murderer come to justice_ , Zelina added in her mind, not daring to say it aloud even in the company of her men.

* * *

It was late by the time Zelina and her men decided to leave the bar. The majority of the 105th who had come were drunk or at least buzzed, and it had been decided that they would move together as a group lest one of them get lost in Coruscant's bustling streets and alleys. It was like a collective buddy system installed to make sure they all made it back home without incident, with Zelina being the completely sober teacher trying to keep all the students in line.

"Cruiser, help Bruiser, I think he's about to start making out with the pavement if he's left to his own devices any longer," Zelina said in amusement, watching as the trooper in question tilted dangerously forward as he stumbled along near the back of the group.

Hardball _giggled_. "That rhymes."

"Nice of you to notice, Hardball," Zelina murmured, helping a staggering Pollix near the outside middle of the group. The poor guy had lost a lot of credits tonight—she'd held him exempt from helping with the remainder of the bill because she felt bad for how much his wallet was hurting right now. Hence why he too was almost incapable of walking forward as they left the cantina that was apparently a favorite for Republic soldiers, as there were a sea of military uniforms of varying styles and colors, with a healthy smattering of regular civilians.

"C'mon, Pollix, let's get you back to the base so that you can sleep this off—at least then your head might hurt worse then your bank account does right now," she couldn't help but joke, pleased when the man momentarily stood on his own, even though she knew it was from a bought of liquid objection.

"Am fin," he slurred.

"Sure you're fine, Pollix. Sure you are."

"General!" Keen-eye suddenly said, his tone much different than the jovial nature it had been most of the night. Zelina turned her head to look at the man in question, the hairs on the back of her neck suddenly standing on edge as a chill went down her back.

_Something's wrong—_

" _Get down_!"

Keen-eye's voice again. Zelina's body had already started to respond to a threat she could not see, though before she could throw herself aside, another trooper—Dash—collided with her, knocking her to the ground and covering her with his own semi-armored form.

A tremble went through the ground, heat flashed through the air, burning her exposed cheek as her ears rang from the proximity of a noise she hadn't even truly _heard_.

There was smoke obscuring her vision, Dash still atop her, pinning her down as shouting filled the air, distant with the ringing. She was sure there were troops running around, trying to figure out what was happening, doing as they were trained and locking down the area, surveying, seeing what just happened.

Zelina coughed, sending a weak pulse in the Force out to blow back the smoke without disturbing any soldiers that might be nearby. A muffled groan sounded in her ear from Dash, telling her he was still alive, despite whatever had just happened.

As her gaze focused on the scene that was within her limited range of vision as she lay flat on the ground covered by one of her men, Zelina sucked in a sharp breath.

Pollix lay on the ground just within reach, body badly burned and scorched, and small fragments of shrapnel of some sort embedded in his face, throat, and upper shoulders. His eyes were wide, fixated on hers as his mouth barely moved, forming, or perhaps only attempting to form words she couldn't hear.

Still disoriented, Zelina reached out with one hand towards Pollix, managing to find his own, the flesh feeling strange and rough against hers. She ignored the sensation, clasping his hand in her own without breaking eye contact.

"Pollix," Zelina managed to murmur, the word sounding warped from submersion with her ringing ears, though the ringing had subsided, everything just sounding underwater now, distant and echoing.

_Healing. You can heal. Heal him…_

The thought swirled in her mind as Pollix's eyes glassed over, and Zelina struggled to pull herself free from under Dash, holding tight to Pollix's limp hand as she reached out with her other hand in an attempt to do something.

"Ma'am…nothing…gone…General…"

The words were hard to make out from the echoing she was currently experiencing, and she blinked her eyes rapidly to try and regain focus, finding herself leaning over Pollix with his hand still in hers.

Medic, they needed a medic.

"Nick…Nick can…" she started to murmur. Whoever was speaking to her knelt down right beside her, speaking directly in her ear to communicate their words.

"Nick's not here, General. Besides, there's nothing…nothing anyone can do. He's gone."

That was…Keen-Eye, perhaps? Yes, it was Keen-eye speaking to her.

"Who else?" she asked, still disoriented as her hearing slowly came back to her, and the shock wore off, Zelina expanding her surveillance of the scene beyond Pollix, whose hand she still held, looking around to see Republic soldiers pushing civilians back from the scene, some lying on the grounds in various form of injury, though none as serious as Pollix's, and not all 105th members.

She looked behind her to see Dash's armor seemed scorched, but the burns to his actual body seemed minimal when Zelina reached out with her free hand to try and heal, to take away some of his pain, perhaps spare him from some scarring as well.

"Dash is hurt, some shrapnel got Bruiser, Cruiser's a little burned—"

"What—" she started to ask, but before she could, Hardball appeared in her line of vision, armor looking lightly scorched by the blast but the man himself appearing relatively unhurt.

"General, we have to get you out of here. In case there wasn't just one…" he said urgently. When Zelina didn't immediately move or respond, his voice garnered a sharper tone. "Ma'am!"

"We're not leaving him in the middle of the street," Zelina said in a surprisingly strong voice, gesturing towards Pollix before she moved to try and get a better grip on him. "Help me—"

"Someone else will take care of Pollix. You were the target, General—you need to leave. Now. Before there's another attempt," Keen-eye said firmly, covering her hand with his own to pry Pollix's grip from his hand.

"Cruiser—"

"He'll be fine, come on," Keen-eye said in a forceful tone, managing to get Zelina on her feet before he passed her off to what seemed to be an unharmed Sentry—who had been at the front of their group. Sentry helped her into one of the speeders that they had taken to the cantina, and before Zelina had entirely recovered from the disorientation caused by the blast, they'd left the scene far behind.

* * *

The healers in the Temple's Halls of Healings deemed Zelina largely unharmed. There had been no permanent sensory damage, though her hearing was going to be finicky for a few hours before the drugs she'd been given kicked in and finished doing their job. There had been a nasty burn on her right cheek and the back of her right hand, the only parts really exposed to the blast created by a thermal detonator since Dash had been atop her to shield her from the worst of the explosion. The disorientation was lingering, but she was told it would pass soon. Zelina herself was still feeling off-put even after being treated, and she found herself making her way back to her apartment without informing anyone of her well-being other than a slightly groggy message to Cruiser stating she was going to be all right after some rest, hoping that her Commander would recover before she did and relay her state of being to the other men.

Anakin was an entirely different subject that she wasn't ready to tackle right now. If she was lucky, she'd be able to rest and recover before he heard about what had happened, and she'd be able to reach out to him when she was ready.

With her recent streak of luck, that probably wasn't going to be how things went, but she could at least hope, couldn't she?

Still in shock, slightly disoriented, and utterly drained, not to mention rather drugged with painkillers, Zelina barely managed to make it to her room and into her bed before she passed out.

* * *

_There was a blistering heat that fluctuated between searing her skin and smothering her, ash and smoke that choked the breath from her lungs, distant screams and the sound of war, of blasters and lightsabers, panic and shouted, conflicting orders._

_Despite these assaults on Zelina's senses, she could see nothing—not yet anyway. There was just blackness, possibly the ash and smoke obscuring her vision?_

_Words started to pierce through the veil of blackness and confusion, echoes of the past, cloying the air around her._

"… _have you been taking care of my little Ani?"_

_Shmi's voice seemed to slip past her, Zelina turning to try and catch a glimpse of the woman considering how loudly the words had echoed in her ear, but nothing came into focus through the haze. Another voice echoed around her, however. This time, it was Luke's voice._

" _You must help him, you need to protect him."_

_Whispers seemed to rustle the air around Zelina as Luke spoke, strands of her hair whipping her face and causing her cheeks to sting, the second whisper louder than the first._

" _Don't let me fall…"_

"Save me _!"_

_Zelina cried out as the darkness around her took on a reddish hue, the burning in the air intensifying to the point she could feel flames licking at her legs and arms._

" _What if the worst happens, and you're not there?" Anakin's voice demanded from the shadows._

" _Your life is at great risk because of your connection to him."_

_The ethereal voice of the Father was quickly followed by the Luke's voice once again, the voice that haunted her dreams with its sorrow and pain._

" _You could be my protector, my guardian, my teacher…or not be there at all."_

" _Considering you're my best friend…the only way I see you not being in my son's life is if you died. And that…_ that _is what has me so scared for you, Zee…knowing that you very well could die at any point, and I'd be powerless to stop it."_

"Fire _!" came the sharp command from the darkness, and there was a sudden brief, explosion of light as blaster fire pierced the fiery darkness. In her minds eye, Zelina saw Gambit cut down by a firing squad, seconds after she'd arrived, snatched away before she could even attempt to save him._

 _Anakin's voice came, loud and clear through the darkness again. "I wasn't strong enough to save you…but I promise;_ I won't fail again _."_

_Suddenly she couldn't breathe—the ash and smoke was cloying, suffocating, cutting off her airways as fire appeared below her feet, turning the floor to magma. She tried to run, to escape the flames, but she didn't know which way to go, and the flames remained right behind and sometimes below her._

_Luke and Anakin's voices intermingled around her, coming in a dizzying cacophony of sound as Zelina lost her balance and fell to the ground, gasping for air, crying from the heat, the flames…_

" _He was just trying to protect me, and mommy, and…"_

" _Why did she have to die? Why couldn't I save her? I_ know _I could have!"_

" _There's nothing, or darkness and I…it's so dark…there's no light…I'm all alone."_

" _It's so cold…don't let it take me,_ please _!_ Don't let me die _!"_

_Someone was screaming, dying, the agony swallowing their existence as it burned out a light in the galaxy. Zelina was pretty sure it was her, considering the pain she was in. How strange to hear yourself screaming like that, as if it was someone else…_

"Father, please _!"_

_No, not just someone…and she could hear…she could hear—_

" _Anakin!" Zelina screamed._

* * *

Zelina leapt from her bed in such a panic that she found herself caught in blankets, palms burning as she skidded across the carpeting, her tangled legs in the sheets holding her lower half at an awkward angle as she gulped in air. Arms trembled in the darkness, sweat mixing with the tears on her face as she tried to regather herself, her burned cheek stinging from the salt of her tears.

_Anakin!_

Her scream still reverberating in her ears, Zelina reached up blindly for the comm unit she kept on her night stand. Her other trembling arm couldn't support her properly, and Zelina gave a sharp cry as she fell to the ground, faceplanting into the carpet on her injured cheek.

If she wasn't careful, that was going to leave a scar—but it wasn't the most important thing on her mind right now.

With a few seconds of struggle, Zelina managed to free her legs from the tangle of sheets and blankets, shifting so her back was against her night stand as she reached back, feeling for her comlink.

As soon as it was in her hand, Zelina was putting out a call to Anakin, suddenly feeling the intense need to see that he was all right, that everything she'd just witnessed had in fact been a dream. She had a flash of guilt as she realized it was probably the middle of the night, which meant he was asleep, very likely asleep with Padme at her apartment.

It took a few moments, which felt like hours in Zelina's current state of being, but eventually she was rewarded for her frazzled patience with the sound of Anakin's sleepy voice.

"Zee…? What time is it?" The last part was mumbled under his breath, probably not directed at her so much as the nearest device that would show him the time. "Is something wrong?"

Zelina sagged against the night stand, surprising herself as she had to muffle a sob at the sudden overwhelming relief that he was all right. If they were both all right, it had just been a dream.

Her strange silence seemed to cause him alarm, as his voice was more alert when he spoke again. "Zelina?"

"Anakin…I know it's the middle of the night," Zelina said in a shaky voice. "But I…could I see you? It—it can't wait until morning."

There was another slight pause as Anakin processed the tone of her voice and her request. "Okay…okay, where do you want to meet?"

"Anywhere," Zelina said, almost too desperately for her liking. "I just—"

"Alright, okay, I'll…I'll meet you in the Thousand Fountains. In that private corner you gave me your Padawan Braid, okay? You can tell me what's going on then," Anakin said in a soothing tone.

"Okay…okay, I'll see you there," Zelina said, taking a few calming breaths as she tried to regather herself.

It took her a moment to realize the transmission had ended before she staggered to her feet, going into her refresher to splash a few handfuls of cold water on her face. She did it partially to wake up, and partially to wash the sweat and tears from her face. After that she threw on a fresh set of nightwear, pulled her nearly-black robe around her and lifted the hood to hide her face before she left her Temple apartment, making a break for the spot Anakin had agreed to see her in.

She arrived first—understandably, if Anakin had indeed been spending the night at Padme's—and found herself unable to sit, instead choosing to pace in front of the fountain rather than attempt to let the sound of the small waterfalls and fountains around her sooth her nerves.

There was only one thing that could calm her right now.

"Zelina?"

Zelina's head snapped up as Anakin appeared around the corner, making his way towards her with a disheveled, wary countenance. He'd hardly made it a few steps towards her before Zelina all but threw herself at him.

"Whoa, hey, what's…" Anakin's first worried question died on his lips when Zelina's hood fell back to reveal her bacta'd cheek, and a quick check over her person also revealed the similar patch on her hand, and the tremble he could clearly feel emanating from her. "Zelina, what happened?" he asked in a more serious, slightly less confused tone, one hand touching her cheek before he turned his attention to inspecting her hand.

Zelina blinked, momentarily thrown off track. She'd had her nightmare at the front of her mind in such clarity, she'd momentarily forgotten the atrocity that had happened before she'd gone to sleep. "I…some of the men and I went out to celebrate Gambit, I thought it'd be good for them, and when we were leaving there was an attack…"

The absentminded way she spoke made Anakin's concern deepen, the emotion coming off of him so thick that Zelina almost felt it as her own.

"Zelina you're not acting like yourself," Anakin said worriedly, guiding her to sit on the fountain's edge beside her. "Start from the beginning and tell me everything that's happened—starting with going out tonight," he said carefully.

Once again, Zelina attempted to gather her wits, taking several deep breaths and thinking about what she wanted to say before she started to speak.

"Like I said, we went out to celebrate Gambit—Cruiser, Nex, Hardball, a bunch of us—I hadn't seen them since he was executed and I thought they might need it. We went to a cantina, one of the ones that are popular with the troops, they had some drinks, we all played sabacc, and then we left. But when we were leaving, there was…someone threw a thermal detonator…"

Saying it now, free from the disorientation and the shock of the moment, suddenly made the event much more real, and Zelina felt the trauma and the loss that had eluded her in the confusion suddenly grip her, her throat tightening as she struggled to get the words out to Anakin.

"Keen-Eye saw it happen, I didn't, but Dash pushed me to the ground when someone threw the detonator at us—me. At me—and I only got some…some disorientation, ringing ears, these two burns, that was it. Dash was burned pretty bad, most of the men were scorched to some degree, Cruiser caught some shrapnel…Pollix…Pollix was killed… _damn it_ …"

Zelina felt tears slipping down her face, and she tried to cover it up with a hand, her knee-jerk response of frustration when she cried eliciting her swear. She felt Anakin's hand on her back, but this wasn't even why she'd called him here. This was just the precursor to what had really driven her to her current state. She wasn't done talking.

"He died right next to me, I was holding his hand when he…" Zelina furiously pressed the back of her hand against her eye as if it would make the tears stop, rubbing vigorously against the skin that wasn't covered by the bacta patch and held the evidence of her tears. "They were targeting me, whoever it was. I'd probably be dead like Pollix if it hadn't been for Dash. I felt the warning, but it was too late, I hadn't even started to throw myself aside when Dash collided with me, and now I don't know how many of my men are injured, with one dead, because of me, because of this mess, and I don't know how many because they had to get me out of there before there was any follow-up attacks that could have been more successful."

"Zelina…" Anakin started to say in a sympathetic tone, but she cut him off.

"And that's not even why I called you—that happened hours ago, I was going to talk about it in the morning, but I…"

Zelina trailed off, suddenly struggling with the entire reason she'd woken Anakin up in the first place, what had sent her into a panic that made her need to see him.

Anakin's hands gripped her arms, turning Zelina to face him entirely where he sat next to her on the fountain. "What else, Zelina? Please, tell me, whatever it is, if it's as bad as it seems, you need to talk about it, you need to tell me," Anakin said seriously.

"I had a dream," she murmured, and she felt Anakin's hands instinctively tighten. She shook her head vigorously, pulling free of his grasp as she rose to her feet to start to pace again. "Not a vision, just a dream. And now that I saw that out loud, I feel stupid for waking you up and dragging you all the way out here for nothing. It was just a dream…"

"Whatever it was, Zelina, it scared you. Please, tell me."

"It's just…with everything going on…I was told to protect you so much by so many people, but then I also kept hearing that I was in danger, that I could very well die, and then that makes me worry about you and what would happen to you, and then I get worried about Padme and Luke, if Luke's going to be okay, if I'm going to be able to change whatever's had him so scared, and then I think of all this darkness in the galaxy right now…and now I've got a target on my head that's already claimed the lives of two of my men and I know the Council said they would support me and they've done it so far but how much longer can they before the Senate is putting more pressure on them than it's worth to protect one single Knight in their ranks, and they can't protect me from the public that's made it very clear they want me dead, but if something happens to me then I can't help you or Padme and I know if something were to happen to me it would hurt you and that makes me afraid of what you might do or what might happen to you if I were to get hurt or worse if I were to—"

" _Stop_ ," Anakin said firmly, rising to his feet and forcing her to stop her pacing, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Zelina, you're not going to die, the Council…the Council isn't going to hand you over to the Republic, you're going to be fine."

He said it, but she wasn't entirely sure he believed it. Anakin had been harboring fears of his own, lately, and it was because he'd been struggling with his own demons Zelina had resisted spilling hers. But now…

Zelina looked up at him, unable to hold back the tears as the pressure and the threats hanging over them both finally caused her to crack.

"Anakin…I'm afraid," she whispered, choking on her words. Anakin's jaw clenched in pain, and Zelina suddenly threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. Her fingers wound into his hair as she found herself sobbing against his chest, leaning into him for stability. Anakin didn't hesitate to wrap his arms tightly around Zelina, holding her firmly to him as she cried, supporting her when her strength waned until she could hardly stand. She felt his chin tuck into the curve of her neck and shoulder as he leaned his head against hers, pulling her as close to him as he could manage.

He didn't say anything, or even move—he held to her just as tightly and let her cry as much as she needed to.

* * *

By the time Zelina managed to stop her tears, Anakin's back was aching from leaning over her with his hug, though he'd thankfully managed to get her back to a sitting position on the fountain. She'd calmed considerably by now, with the two sitting side by side, Anakin's arm around Zelina comfortingly while Zelina rested her head on his shoulder and stared forlornly at nothing.

Anakin glanced down at her, worry clenching in his gut not for the first time simply tonight for his friend.

Her ramblings about how she was afraid she was going to die were going to be haunting him for months.

"Zee, we really need to talk," he said softly.

 _That's the understatement of our lives_ , some snide voice said in the back of his mind. He swiftly shut it up so he could focus on Zelina.

"Didn't you just tell me to stop talking? Since I went a little on the rambling side of things," Zelina murmured.

"That's not what I mean," Anakin said firmly, holding her a little tighter out of protectiveness. "Zelina, we haven't talked in a long time. We've talked plenty about me and what's going on with me, but I can't even remember the last time we sat down and had a long, serious conversation about you. After that…I'm not letting you leave this room until we've talked. You have far more on your mind than you've been leading me to believe, and I want to know what's really going on with you before I do anything else."

Zelina was quite for a few moments, her mood dipping lower and lower as she focused on whatever was stirring in her mind. "I don't know where you want me to start."

"You've been different for months, now, before we even came back to Coruscant. Why don't we start there?"

Another silence, this time a thoughtful one as Zelina considered what she wanted to say.

"I'm not a Jedi anymore."

Anakin froze, his hand on her arm as the possible follow-ups to that statement flashed across his mind. Not a Jedi? When he'd asked her near the start of the war if she had any regrets about becoming a Jedi, she'd said she had none. Now she was saying she wasn't even a Jedi? She wasn't a Sith, she was too…too…Zelina to be a Sith. Not to mention, she was still in the Order, which meant she was still a Jedi. Yes, she'd changed, and he'd noticed there'd been a clear change, but she hadn't changed _that_ much…had she?

"What do you mean?" Anakin finally managed to ask, his confusion painfully obvious in his voice.

"I lost faith in the Council after what happened to Ahsoka. It was kind of my last straw. Couple that with the turn my actions and way of thinking has turned, recently, I guess you could say I've gone Grey," Zelina said softly, as if she was afraid some late-night Jedi prowler would overhear and run off to report her. "There's just too much I've come to disagree with, or see differently. I accept my demons instead of deny them, and…well, I don't always do things in a particularly Jedi way."

Anakin wasn't sure how he wanted to take this news. His heart had picked up its pace, different reactions rolling through his mind as liable options for how to take her news, but he didn't seem capable of settling on one. That ever-present anger of his was trying to creep up, though, among the confusion and a slight sense of betrayal or hurt that she'd keep such a thing from him.

Then again, he had just admitted that they'd talked so much about him recently they'd hardly talked about her. He had no right to feel betrayed about not knowing something that was going on with her, did he?

"Then why have you stayed?" he asked.

"You," was her immediate reply, and before Anakin's imagination could take that simple reply and run wild, she expanded. "Obi-Wan. The fact that I can do more good in the Order than trying to operate outside of it. In the Order, I'm in a leadership position, I'm fighting on the frontlines, I'm over my men, and these soldiers need good leaders that actually care about them and think of them as something more than just disposable numbers…though I guess now, even if I decided to leave, I couldn't. Ironic how now I have to stay if I want to stay safe from the Republic I've been fighting so hard to defend."

Anakin sighed, the sound long and low. "It's gotten that bad, then?"

Zelina had regained enough of herself she was able to give him a _look_. "Anakin, I just had a thermal detonator thrown at my face by a civilian— _yes_ , it's gotten that bad."

"Well, at least it can't get much worse?"

"Your attempt at optimism is terrible. It can get _a lot_ worse, Anakin. They Council could finally decide that protecting me is proving more trouble than its worth and turn me over to the Republic. Obi-Wan's not here to vouch for me now, it could happen. If they do turn me over, it'd also be a death sentence, at this rate. The public won't have it any other way—they want my head on a spike."

"Don't talk like this," Anakin said in a soft, pained tone. Hearing her talk so bleakly, saying there was an inevitability that she was going to die...

It hurt him just as deeply as the thought that Padme might die soon.

"But it's true, Anakin. That's where I am right now." Zelina turned so she could look him in the eyes. "I actually have escape plans—that's how bad things are. I've thought of several escape plans of what I can do if the Council decides to hand me over."

Anakin leaned back. "You're going to run?"

"If I have to. This isn't the same as Ahsoka, Anakin. There's no real criminal behind it all to catch. They just want me dead, and they'll sentence me for hearsay. You can't bring gossipers to take the sentence for me. If I'm turned over, that's it. So yes…I've thought of escape plans for if this reaches that point."

"Zelina, you can't leave," Anakin said softly. What about _him_? What about _Luke_? What about _Padme_? If Zelina left, there went Anakin's closest friend and greatest support. There went Luke's teacher. There went the person who had been studying to save Padme all this time.

Zelina reached up and squeezed his hand. "I'm still here, aren't I? I said I would run if the Council tries to turn me over…I never said I'd abandon you."

Anakin's heart clenched as he stared at Zelina, noting the resignation on her face.

_But what will happen to you? If you're caught…_

Anakin tried desperately not to think of the firing squad and Gambit.

_I have to do something. I can't let her die, especially not like this._


	13. Still Water Illusion

Zelina wasn't about to let the incident outside of the cantina slide. She had already lost Gambit and the Ruusanians with nothing to do in order to get them justice, she wasn't going to let the same thing happen to Pollix. However, this time, she had time to step back and breathe, to gather her wits and decide what she was going to do.

This time, when she confronted Palpatine, it would be with a level head as well as with a plan.

She had already gone to the Coruscant Authorities who, as she could have predicted, refused to investigate. As furious as it made her to be repeatedly blocked from getting any kind of justice for so many innocents, she managed to hold her tongue, saving her fury for when she cornered the Chancellor.

By then, she would be able to productively channel that fury towards getting some actual results.

She didn't go alone to the Chancellor's office this time. Instead, she brought back up in the form of two outspoken politicians, a select few of her men that were well enough to come, and a reporter that had been hand-picked by Padme to join them.

After the rumors that had followed her last, hot headed visit, she was going to make sure she wasn't going to get backed into a corner that painted her in some new kind of bad light. Not to mention, she didn't want to do something that gave the Council a reason to turn her over, which meant she had to be extra cautious.

Now, Zelina made her way down the hall towards the Chancellor's office, flanked closely by Padme and Satine, and the reporter Zelina did not know the name of on one hand, and the small group of her men on the other, consisting of Cruiser, Keen-Eye, Nex, and Sentry. She came even with the Red Guards outside of the Chancellor's door, choosing the guard on the right to address.

"We're here to see the Chancellor," Zelina announced in a far calmer voice than last time.

"The Chancellor requested privacy while he spoke with General Skywalker. Either wait until they are finished, or leave," the guard said coolly. He might have been one present for her last collision with the Chancellor, judging by that tone of voice.

 _Perfect_ , Zelina mused, something she'd never thought she'd think about Palpatine and Anakin being in the same room together. However, Anakin being in the room as well as a reporter was in her favor—she had been, in part, banking on her friend's presence.

_Just another way to back Palpatine into a corner._

There must have been the flicker of a smile across her face, because Padme gave Zelina an inquisitive look as Zelina backed away to wait. Once they were a few paces from the Red Guards, Zelina answered the woman's unspoken question.

"If Anakin's in there, Palpatine might be on best behavior in order not to tarnish Anakin's mental image of him," Zelina murmured. "Normally, I hate the thought of the two of them around each other, but this time I was hoping Anakin would be here."

Padme nodded, and a silence of mixed emotions settled over their group. The reporter seemed mildly impatient, Zelina's men were varying degrees of nervous to be meeting the Supreme Chancellor their General did _not_ have a high opinion of, and Padme and Satine were mildly worried about Zelina, but otherwise seemed to feel like this was simply business as usual.

Zelina allowed herself to drift while she waited, loosing any sense of time as she simply entered a state of light meditation as they waited for admittance. Everyone but the reporter seemed to realize what she was doing—she'd hope so, considering Padme and Satine both had some degree of a romantic relationship with Jedi and her men were around her far more than was normal for Jedi Generals and their soldiers—and gave her space, finding their own way to entertain themselves while they waited.

Eventually, one of the guards received a signal that whatever Anakin and Palpatine had been discussing was finished, and Palpatine would be seeing visitors now. The guards stepped aside, opening the door in the process and allowing Zelina's group inside, with Zelina in the lead.

Both Palpatine and Anakin—who was standing just behind Palpatine's desk—seemed surprised to see them. Anakin seemed surprised in general, which told Zelina he hadn't been paying much attention to nearby presences in the Force, though Palpatine only seemed mildly surprised to see the size of the group.

Perhaps Palpatine had been expecting her to come in a rampage and alone again.

Palpatine steepled his fingers together. "My, isn't this a surprise?" he remarked as Zelina's group came to a stop in front of Palpatine's desk. "To what do I owe the…pleasure?"

Zelina's gaze was fixed on the Chancellor, a false smile forced onto her face as she spoke the words she'd been carefully crafting since she'd recovered from the attack. She could feel Anakin's attention in the Force, shifting between Zelina and Padme the most, though occasionally flickering to the other members of Zelina's small group. Cruiser and the others were standing at full attention, though she noticed it was more because they were in the presence of someone important more than out of respect. The reporter as already hanging onto every word, and Zelina wouldn't be surprised if she was recording the conversation for later reference.

"I'm not sure how much you've already heard, but there was an attack the other night that claimed the life of a Republic Soldier and injured several others, including myself," Zelina began. She paused momentarily, though Palpatine was quick to interject.

"I did hear about that—such a terrible thing," Palpatine said, and Zelina had to fight to keep her pleasant air when she heard the false notes of his tone.

"Yes, it was," Zelina said, unable to help the cool undercurrent in her voice. "Are you also aware that when I went to the Coruscant Authorities about any efforts they're making to catch whoever was responsible, they informed me that there are no efforts, and were rather emphatic that there would be no efforts in the future?"

Palpatine's kept a perfect Sabacc face, and as always, Zelina couldn't get a good read on his emotions in the Force, though the momentary pause she felt was enough to give her the impression that he was not approaching this conversation with caution.

"I was not aware of that. Perhaps they simply do not have the resources or the proper leads to—"

"If that was the case, they would have said so—I was there with her. It was a blatant refusal to investigate," Satine cut in, receiving a sharp look from Palpatine for interrupting him. Satine didn't seem to particularly care.

Zelina pressed her current advantage, not wanting Palpatine to get much of a chance to talk his way out of the current situation. "I believe that what occurred outside the cantina the other night falls firmly under the category of domestic terrorism. It was an intentional attack that was specifically aimed at us, one that killed and injured members of the Republic, several soldiers and a Jedi." She gestured towards Keen-eye to speak up, and the man stood even straighter as he addressed the Chancellor.

"It's true, Chancellor. I saw the perpetrator right before the thermal detonator was thrown. They were aiming at us—General Du'ahn, specifically, though the use of a thermal detonator rather than a blaster or some other, more contained method proves that they did not mind, or perhaps even wanted to catch soldiers in the attack as well."

Once he was done speaking, Padme cut in, sticking to their plan to not give Palpatine any wiggle room to try and get around this. "Due to the severity of the incident and the authorities refusing to investigate, we felt that it was a matter that needed to be brought to your attention. If Coruscant Authorities will not even investigate an act of blatant domestic terrorism, then the people are not receiving the protection that they need, protection that will be vital if there continues to be incidents like this one."

"And what would you have me do, Senator?" Palpatine asked coolly.

"Insist they investigate the attack," Zelina said firmly. "And considering the corruption that they're displaying, I would investigate them as well so that more people aren't denied the justice they deserve."

Something wicked glinted in Palpatine's eyes, and Zelina was painfully reminded of the public's bloodthirsty call for justice regarding her right now. She staunchly ignored that, though, and focused on continuing to drive home her point.

"An innocent man died in the streets, with others injured. Some of them are standing before you right now, and some are still receiving treatment," Zelina said pointedly, gesturing towards her men. "Far too many Republic Soldiers already die every day on the front lines—they should not be at as much of a threat walking the streets of the Republic. The person responsible needs to be caught and brought to justice before they hurt or kill someone else. At the very least, there should be an investigation instead of this blatant refusal that we've found so far."

Zelina could see the displeased light in Palpatine's eyes as he gazed at her with outward contemplative calm. If there weren't so many people here including Anakin and the reporter, Zelina was sure he'd be spinning some elaborate but thinly veiled excuse. But with two well-respected politicians, a Jedi (even if their loyalties were being questioned), and a group of the very men attacked appealing for the investigation, it wasn't a matter that a good leader could blatantly ignore.

"I will see what I can do," Palpatine said vaguely.

"We have your promise you will push for an investigation to find whoever was responsible for the attack, then?" Satine asked.

"I said I'll see what I can do," Palpatine said in a cool tone, turning his displeasure on Satine instead of Zelina for a moment. Satine was unphased, and seemed largely uncaring to have Palpatine's ire directed at her, even momentarily.

"Any investigation attempt would be much appreciated by myself and the members of the 105th. We'll be following the matter closely," Zelina said evenly in way of closing, giving Palpatine a slight incline of the head in false respect, allowing a small smile to be sent Anakin's way before she turned and led the small group from the office…

…plus one. Anakin seemed to be following them on their way out.

Briefly, Zelina wondered how much it annoyed Palpatine every time Anakin left him behind to pursue her.

Anakin easily came even with Zelina several strides outside of Palpatine's office. "What was that?"

"That was me refusing to let another Gambit happen," Zelina said calmly.

"Don't you think you were a little unfair to paint him into a corner like that?" Anakin challenged.

"Please, if I hadn't approached him the way I did, he'd have brushed me off and the entire matter would go ignored—again."

"He's not as bad as you keep making him out to be."

Stopped and turned to stand in front of him, momentarily reminded that they had an audience of her men, Satine, Padme, and a _reporter_ , but she ignored them for the moment as she focused on Anakin.

"He could easily cut the pressure on me in _half_ , perhaps more, if he would simply make a statement that I did not threaten him in his office. Yet he remains silent and lets the accusations and the hatred towards me get worse to the point people are making attempts on my life in crowded public places. What does that tell you?"

Feeling her point had been properly emphasized, Zelina continued walking, leaving Anakin standing in the middle of the hall to stew over her words. She noticed the reporter lingered with him, but she didn't worry about it—he was perfectly capable of fending off the press on his own.

Turning to Satine and Padme, she gave them both a small smile. "Thank you for helping me in there—I can't really express how much I appreciated having the back up," she said sincerely.

"Of course," Satine returned easily. Padme put a hand on Zelina's shoulder.

"You asked us to let you handle things unless you asked for help. We're just glad you finally let us help," Padme said with a small smile.

Zelina patted the hand Padme had placed on her shoulder. "I'm sure you have other matters to attend to in the Senate—I won't keep you long. I'll have to return to the Jedi Temple now, myself."

Padme nodded, withdrawing her hand. "Of course—good luck."

"I hope we'll see results soon," Satine added before the two took their leave, which meant it was just Zelina and her men making their way to the exit now. Cruiser readily took his place on Zelina's right hand, the others falling into step wherever their strides put them.

"You handled yourself like a politician in there, Ma'am," Cruiser remarked. "I thought you said that you hated politics?"

"Oh, I hate them. Doesn't mean I can't play a strong short game of politics. I wouldn't last long term, but I can use them to my advantage when I need to," Zelina said thoughtfully. She held out a hand to stop him, as well as the others, turning to address them all. "Speaking of politics…there's something I need to tell all of you."

Their expressions turned wary at her words, the four of them coming to stand in a loose semi-circle around her.

"That's rather foreboding of you to say, General," Nex remarked, and Zelina did her best to ignore Keen-eye's searching gaze.

Zelina sighed. "I'm going to be keeping to myself for a while. I'd like to say until this all dies down, but I don't see things calming down any time soon. I've already had two too many of my men die away from the battlefield on my account, and I'm not going to risk another death." She held up a hand to stop their protests. "I appreciate the loyalty, deeply. But it's not your job to protect me, especially away from battle. That duty shouldn't rest on your shoulders when we're on Coruscant, and I'm not going to be putting any more of my men in a situation that could risk their lives when they're supposed to be getting a break from the front lines."

"All due respect, General, but it is our duty to protect you," Sentry said firmly.

"Not here," Zelina said firmly. "I won't have it. Gambit and Pollix didn't deserve what happened to them—it never should have. It'll save more lives for me to handle this quietly on my own from here on out, and unfortunately if I want to avoid dragging any of you into the middle of this or keep anyone else from getting injured or killed because of the circus that's going on with me right now, that means I'm going to have to keep my distance. I'm sure you'll be able to explain to the others," she finished softly, giving them a small nod.

None of them looked pleased, but she was doing what she felt was best. She didn't want any more deaths hanging over her head than she already did, and she didn't want to see any more of her men hurt on her account. She already hated it on the battlefield, but it was even worse when it happened here on Coruscant.

No more.

* * *

Isolation wasn't easy, though Zelina hadn't expected it to be. She wanted to mingle with the 105th and keep those relationships strong, but she was afraid to endanger them needlessly. Obi-Wan was on Utapau, Anakin was gone more often than not, and as much as she wanted to visit Padme and Satine, she couldn't do it often, considering she was painfully aware that she wasn't entirely safe in a speeder on her way to their apartments. They were, however, the best candidates for her to have social interaction right now.

While she kept herself mostly cut off from the outside world, Zelina threw herself into her studies, training vigorously with Windu, going through the teachings and life of Satele Shan with a fine-toothed comb, practicing her healing in the Halls of Healing and doing further study in her apartment, and crafting and teaching lessons for her youngling students. She knew them all by name now, and she liked to think that she wasn't the worst teacher they'd ever had. They'd learned a lot under her from what she could see, with some already showing interest in particular lightsaber forms, and nearly all of them able to hold a masking of their presences—after Zelina masked them in the first place.

She'd be teaching the class again tomorrow, but that lesson was already prepared. Already she'd trained with Windu today, and while she could have worked on her studies, Zelina already made plans to go visit Padme and Satine at Padme's apartment. She was allowing herself this one trip, though it also meant that she wouldn't be able to see them again for a little while, just so her visits didn't become frequent and easy to predict and target. Besides, she did need breaks between the constant study and teaching, or else she would go mad. She loved to learn, truly, but she also needed variance in her routines. She'd always been one who needed to get up and do something, never able to remain inactive for long—and continuous study was something she considered to be inactivity, after so long.

The caution surrounding Zelina at this point was such that she didn't use the lift to get to Padme's apartment, as she usually did. Instead, with Padme's permission, she used Padme's personal landing pad, something Zelina had only done on the rare occasion.

It seemed Satine had already arrived, as she was waiting with Padme on the veranda as Zelina's speeder came to a gradual halt. As Zelina made her way towards the other two women, she noticed Threepio moving around with refreshments near the couches in the veranda.

Zelina gave Padme a hug as she approached, the other woman giving her arm a slight squeeze. "How are you?"

"As well as can be expected," Zelina said with a somewhat rueful smile, moving to give Satine a hug as well. "Isolation doesn't suit me, but it's necessary."

"Just don't isolate yourself too much, and you should do just fine," Satine remarked, and the three woman made their way inside to the veranda. Zelina sighed as she sat down on one of the couches, giving Threepio a small smile as she took one of the glasses of jogan juice he offered her.

"All right, ground rules for the politicians while I'm here—I would very much like to be free of any political talk while I'm here, so if there's anything politically important you have to tell e, I'd do it now so the rest of the evening can be politics-free," Zelina announced as she sat back in her seat. She was only mildly surprised when Satine and Padme exchanged knowing looks, Satine's becoming more pointed as a silent conversation seemed to pass between them.

 _Well this should be good_ , Zelina couldn't help but think.

"There is…something that the two of us have talked about bringing to your attention," Padme said slowly. "It's extremely sensitive, something of the utmost secrecy…some might be upset if they knew that we were telling you."

"But we believe that the Jedi should become a part of this, especially if they support peace and the Republic as much as they claim," Satine interjected. "And of all the Jedi, you're the one we know best aligns with these viewpoints."

"Viewpoints?" Zelina echoed, sitting up in mild surprise. Secrecy, peace and the republic…whatever this was, apparently it was important.

"There is a group of Senators who are determined to stand against Palpatine's current tyrannical reign. We want to see a return to democracy—have him release his emergency powers and allow the Republic to function as it's supposed to again," Satine explained.

"We've already approached him as the Delegation of the 2000," Padme continued. "Though there are more of us who are opposed, though are more cautious about outwardly standing against Palpatine's position…Senator Organa also wanted it to be clear that we're not Separatists. Mon Mothma described us as loyalists. We want to see a return of democracy and diplomacy, and a swift end to the war, preferably through peaceful means."

"By the continuing state of the Senate, I'm guessing he didn't pay much attention to the petition," Zelina murmured.

"No, he didn't," Padme said with a sigh.

"There have been debates to involve the Jedi, but…we're unsure where the Jedi would stand—with our…Alliance, or with the Chancellor," Satine explained.

"The Alliance," Zelina said without hesitation. Satine and Padme seemed surprised by her surety. "Aside from Anakin, the majority of the Council is strongly displeased with Palpatine and the Senate, from what I've been able to see. In fact, their suspicions of Palpatine run deeper than you know and I can say. They're alarmed by the power he's gathered and how long he's been in charge of the Senate. I'm sure Obi-Wan has mentioned it a few times, Satine?"

Satine nodded. "He has, during our more political conversations."

Zelina folded her hands in her lap, drink momentarily forgotten. "If the others didn't want you to discuss this with anyone else, specifically Jedi…why tell me?"

"Because we know how strongly you oppose Palpatine," Satine started.

"And how well you can keep a secret," Padme added softly. The weight of that statement was more than all three of them could put into words. Zelina could think of multiple secrets she carried between the three of them. "If we were to get an idea of the Jedi stance regarding Palpatine, without compromising the Alliance, it would be through you."

Zelina let out a long breath she hadn't noticed she'd started to hold. "The Council plays a dangerous balancing act. They want to appease the Republic and hold to their ties in the Senate, but they're suspicious of Palpatine and detest when the Republic intrudes on Jedi matters and autonomy—though they would probably never use the term detest. I think if your Alliance was to approach the Council, they might find an ally. I can't account for what Anakin would do, though—he's a bit of a wild card by himself, and as much as I hate it, he has a strong relationship with Palpatine. He might say something. Maybe not outright, but if Palpatine suspected something was going on and tried to pry, he'd probably talk."

She hated to talk badly about Anakin, but it was the truth. He was the risk when it came to Satine and Padme's Alliance approaching the Council.

"Though I am glad to hear that there are movements within the senate that are standing against Palpatine. I'm firmly of the opinion something needs to be done about him," Zelina added softly.

"We'll have to tell the others about what you've said. Perhaps something can finally be done about the state of our democracy," Padme said with a small nod.

_Hopefully. If enough people listen._

* * *

"Give me a moment, I'll be right back," Satine said, excusing herself from the current easy flow of conversation that was shifting between the three women. Zelina waited until the duchess had disappeared around the corner to scoot closer to Padme.

"I hate to be the one to tell you this, but despite your efforts, you're starting to show," Zelina commented, gesturing towards the woman's abdomen. "May I?"

Padme smiled gently at her. "Of course. I've been wearing more and more elaborate outfits to try and hide it, but you're right—it's almost too obvious by now. I might have to take a personal leave until the baby's born, at this rate."

Zelina's hand pressed gently around Padme's belly, physically feeling for some sign of the life within. She could have stretched out in the Force to feel for the child, but she had the oddest impulse to let the little one have some privacy, despite the fact they were still developing and probably didn't have any sense of the concept.

She felt a small bump, unsure if it was an elbow, a hand, a knee, or a foot, but knowing it was the child within. "Oh…" she said tenderly. "There you are, little one…"

"Healthy and strong, according to the doctor," Padme remarked. "I've already told him I want it to be a surprise, so no details about the baby's sex or anything like that. Only health, and of course informing me if there's any problems."

"And so far, none?" Zelina asked.

"So far none. And the baby's almost ready to come out into the galaxy, too," Padme said with a smile that seemed equal parts warm, relieved, and reassuring.

"Good. I'm ready to start acting like an Auntie—he's going to be so spoiled," Zelina cooed.

"I still don't understand why you and Anakin are so insistent the baby's going to be a boy."

"Call it intuition, or a secret wish," Zelina chuckled.

"You haven't cheated and peaked with the Force, have you?" Padme asked suspiciously.

Technically…

"No, I haven't. I've been giving the little one they're privacy, so to speak," Zelina chuckled, withdrawing her hand and leaning back in her seat. Padme seemed to relax marginally.

"Good…I want it to be a surprise," Padme mumbled.

"I can't say the same about Anakin—I hadn't thought to ask."

"I said a surprise!"

Zelina laughed.

"Ah, Zelina, Padme, I believe the two of you are going to want to see this."

Padme and Zelina both looked up as Satine re-entered the room with a personal datapad in hand, looking over its contents with a furrowed brow. The woman's expression caused Zelina's laughter to die on her lips, though not because whatever the woman was studying was inherently bad—it just seemed like it was serious.

Scooting over so the woman could sit between them, Zelina let Satine sit down before she leaned over to see whatever it was that had Satine's attention.

The first thing she saw was that it was an article. The image of the reporter that accompanied the article also told Zelina that it was by the reporter that had come with them to corner Palpatine into investigating the attack on Zelina and her men.

This article, while about Zelina, didn't seem to be about the attack or the push for an investigation. In fact…there was a recording of _Anakin_ accompanying the article.

"What?" Zelina exclaimed once her eyes fell on the recording. Before she could stop herself out of manners, she'd already reached out and hit play. Apparently Satine had started to watch the recording before she'd paused it and hurried back to the veranda to inform Padme and Zelina of the article, because it started in what Zelina assumed was the middle of a brief interview inside the Senate building.

"…was in the room with them and can say for a fact that she didn't make any threats on the Chancellor's life," Anakin was saying. A rush went through Zelina as she realized he was publicly speaking out against the rumors swirling around her. He had been in the room, so he could shoot down those rumors about her supposed threat just as much as Palpatine could.

She hoped her comment about how easily the Chancellor could stop that rumor hadn't caused him any guilt, because it hadn't even occurred to her to have Anakin speak out. It had been the Chancellor that the rumors regarded, so she'd considered it the Chancellor's responsibility to clarify what had happened, as much as she knew the man wasn't going to do it.

"If there was no threat made, then what was the reportedly heated discussion about?" the reporter asked.

"She came to confront the Chancellor about one of the 105th being executed without a trial or informing any of his commanding officers, herself included," Anakin explained. He looked slightly uncomfortable to have to speak out against the Chancellor, even if it was indirectly and momentarily, but he still said it, knowing it would be on the record. Zelina felt her heart warm at the thought.

"And the accusations that she's a Separatist Sympathizer and Spy? Do you have anything to say about those?"

A flash of annoyance crossed Anakin's face. "I've known Zelina since we were children. We've grown up together, trained together, and now fought together many times in defense of the Republic. She's one of the people I'm closest to; we tell each other everything. Never has she shown any sign of being a traitor to the Republic. I _know_ she isn't. She doesn't always agree with some of the Chancellor's actions, but she's devoted to the Republic and the Order."

"What about the footage that shows her sacrificing Republic Troops for Separatists and fighting besides Separatists?"

"I don't understand how that footage was received so negatively. Separatist forces opened fire on civilians in the village that Zelina and her men were camped by, and she rushed to defend civilian lives rather than sit by and do nothing while a massacre occurred. Those that fought with her were civilians that could fight in defense of their people. Of all her loyalties, Zelina tends to put the people of the galaxy first before anything else."

 _Actually, I put Anakin before anything else, though I balk at the thought of ever being in a position where I have to choose between the people of the galaxy and Anakin. Would it be bad to say that I would desperately search for a third option_ , Zelina thought.

"This isn't going to put him in the line of fire, is it?" Zelina asked aloud, the worry clear in her tone.

"Actually…it might not. As low as the opinion of the Jedi is right now, the public loves Anakin. He's the face of the war, the Republic's hero right now. If anything, this will help…drastically, perhaps," Padme mused.

"When did he even do this?" Zelina murmured, scrolling through the article for the information she desired.

"The reporter did seem to talk to him after we left the Chancellor's office. Perhaps what you said prompted him to speak out?" Satine suggested. "He could have done it then, or even scheduled for an interview regarding you at a later date and just didn't say anything."

Zelina was quiet for a few moments. "I'm so used to being the one defending and looking out for him…it's nice to be the recipient every now and then. Especially right now. If this helps as much as you think it will, Padme…well, I can't begin to explain how much of a relief that will be."

* * *

After the news of Anakin's public defense of Zelina, it seemed a shadow she hadn't even realized had been hanging over them disappeared from the conversation between the three women. The evening progressed from pleasant to wonderful, with jokes and stories of happier, less war-torn times passing between them.

Around evening, however, the back of Zelina's neck prickled, and an unease started to settle over her. Padme seemed to be feeling the same thing, though on a much milder scale than Zelina. At first, despite all her training and experience conditioning her to instantly act on such a feeling, she ignored it. Mostly because of the faint and vague nature of the feeling. Steadily, the feeling began to mount in potency, causing the joy to drain from the visit as concern took root in Zelina's gut and her attention turned away from the conversation as she sought out the source or even the focus of the feeling that was now plaguing her senses.

Satine seemed to catch on to the fact that Zelina and Padme both had felt a drop in their joyful mood despite the fact there was no visible reason for such a mood change. As a result, Zelina's inattention seemed to be excused for the time being.

Cautiously, Zelina let herself dip into the eddies of the Force, reaching out in an attempt to locate what was making her feel so unsettled. As her senses stretched out across Coruscant, Zelina suddenly realized that the source was something more internal.

A bond. She was getting her sense of unease because of one of her bonds.

Turning her search inwards, Zelina disregarded the bonds she shared with the women she was currently in the presence of, checking first her connection to Obi-Wan, since he was the one that was currently on the front lines trying to kill General Grievous.

From what she could tell, he was fine.

Suddenly trepidatious, Zelina prodded at her connection with Anakin, the strongest of all her connections considering the depth of her emotions towards him, how long their bond had been forged, the trials they had endured together. The fact he was on the same planet and possibly a modest distance away from her might have helped the strength be a little clearer as well.

Despair. That's what she was sensing. Despair or devastation. One of the two could best describe the feeling. There was also a potent dose of fear mingled in there.

Wherever he was, something bad had happened.

Quickly, Zelina tried to locate where Anakin was, reaching out once more to find his presence, judging that he'd either be at the Temple or at the Senate.

He was in the Temple. She could feel the storm gathering around him due to his emotions, causing his presence to be tumultuous.

"I have to go," Zelina said abruptly, unsure if her statement had interrupted a conversation between the other two and unable to really bring herself to care if it had. She did need to go, right now. Anakin had been flighty recently, and she wanted to catch him at the Temple before he changed locations again so that she wasn't sent on a wild bantha chase.

"Are you sure?" Satine asked.

"Yes, I am, I'm sorry you two, it's been lovely, but I think I'm needed at the Temple," Zelina said politely, rising to her feet.

"Zelina—" Padme started to say with a note of urgency in her voice, reaching out to grab her arm. Zelina paused, looking at Padme expectantly, but the woman said nothing, shaking her head and withdrawing her arm as if to get rid of whatever thought or feeling had caused her strange action. "Never mind. Have a good rest of the night. And if you see Anakin, tell him—"

Padme hesitated, likely because of Satine's presence, but Zelina smiled, already having a general idea of what she was supposed to do _when_ she saw Anakin—when considering she was headed to the Temple to see him in the first place.

"I know, don't worry, I will," she said with a reassuring smile, giving one last nod in goodbye to both before she made her way to the landing pad and left for the Temple.

Her concern only grew as she flew, the feeling of unease only strengthening as the minutes slipped by. She returned the speeder to the Temple's speeder pool, slowing down as she approached the hall. She could sense Anakin's worried presence, or at least echoes of it, in the hanger. Before she delved into the depths of the Temple, she reached out in search of Anakin's presence in the Temple so she actually had a destination in mind.

_Chuba._

She couldn't sense him, which meant he'd already left again.

Damn Anakin and his flighty tendencies. She had to have just missed him. If he left, he might have been called to another meeting, which meant she wouldn't be able to get in and see him, anyway. She'd have to wait until he returned to the Temple to corner him and see what had been wrong, enough so to disturb her all the way in Padme's apartment.

Suppressing a disgruntled sigh, Zelina made her way into the Temple, unsure of where she wanted to go now that she was here but Anakin wasn't. he'd been the entire reason she made her way back, and now her purpose for coming back had fled out the same way she came in without Zelina having a chance to even catch a glimpse of him.

She wandered idly, letting her feet guide her where they would, and only mildly surprised when she found herself within the Temple's archives. She nodded to Jocusta Nu as she entered, the older woman used to seeing Zelina come and go for knowledge by now. A few paces into the main chamber, crowded around a table in the center of the room, Zelina spotted some of her students bent over datapads and flimsy, no doubt studying for their next class or finishing homework.

A small smile wound its way across Zelina's face, and while Zelina's unease didn't fade, she set it aside, a feeling constantly tickling in the back of her mind that she kept tabs on as she approached her students to see if they would like any kind of assistance from her.

* * *

Cruiser sat gathered in the main lounge that connected the rooms of the officers and Arc Troopers of the 105th with several of his brothers, Keen-eye, Dash, Nex, and Bruiser, waiting on Sentry and Hardball before they started a fresh round of Sabacc. They'd been on Coruscant long enough that by now, the men were getting jumpy, itching to get back to the front lines and away from the rumors and political conflict that had been plaguing their general since they set foot on the planet.

Personally, he never stopped worrying about his general considering the trouble she tended to find herself in and constantly attracted, and the recent accusations had done nothing to ease the burden of that concern. Even now, when he was supposed to be relaxing, his mind wandered to the release of the article that had featured General Skywalker, and his mixture of feelings over it. The dominating feelings tended to shift between concern for General Skywalker if his speaking out in defense of General Du'ahn only worsened the situation and brought him under fire as well, and immense gratitude that the man had come to General Du'ahn's defense.

Though considering the nature of the relationship between the two Generals, it wasn't that surprising. What was surprising was how long it took for him to come to General Du'ahn's defense.

Though perhaps her words in the Senate building had been what made him realize he could do something about the situation…

Cruiser's holoprojector beeped with an incoming message, and he tucked his current Sabacc hand into his belt, rising to duck into his room long enough to answer the call. The beep was insistent, and he had barely taken the device into his hand and closed the door to his room behind him when the person on the other end apparently used an override of some sort to force the connection, much to Cruiser's surprise.

It wasn't General Du'ahn contacting him, then.

A robed figure appeared on the small device in front of him, hood drawn to partially hide their face, though when the voice spoke, Cruiser immediately recognized who it was.

"Execute Order 66."


	14. Cornered Animals

Zelina stiffened when she felt the first death in the Force.

Had she not already been keeping such close tabs on the Force due to the uneasiness that led her here, she would have missed it. However, such an event as a loss of a life was not something that went unnoticed by her senses when she was tapped into the ebb and flow of the Force, not even in the back of her mind. If it had been a loss of consciousness, she might have missed it, or written it off as someone falling asleep. However, it was the sudden, violent ripping away of an entire light and presence in the Force, one that was relatively nearby as well.

Her momentary hesitation as she tried to figure out what had just happened was jostled away and swiftly replaced by the instincts of war when she felt two more deaths in rapid succession, telling her that this was not just someone dying of old age or a singled out assassination.

"Children, put up your materials, now," Zelina said in a calm but sharp tone of voice. "We need to leave. You're going to wait for me or Master Nu before you leave though, all right?"

Zelina felt some flickers of fear at her words, flickers that drew the attention of other Jedi in the room, but the children obeyed. Lowering any guards she typically kept over her emotions enough to let the Jedi know she was worried and something was wrong, Zelina made her way swiftly to Jocusta Nu as the older woman worked on putting away some of the holocrons that had recently been returned to the Archives.

"The Temple's under attack," Zelina said bluntly to the other woman. Running around shouting it would only incite a panic, but the alarm needed to be raised, and the best way she could do that was to start telling people, especially those who held positions of power, like Master Nu, in a calm and direct tone.

"What?" Master Nu asked, startled by Zelina's proclamation.

"By the entrance to the Temple. Three…four deaths and counting already."

Zelina waited only with partial patience as the woman stretched out with her senses, another death coming with unfortunately great timing for the Jedi Master to sense another loss. As soon as the older woman felt the death, an urgent air settled over the two Jedi.

"We need to spread the word, mount a defense, get the younglings to safety. If it's too big of a force, we need an evacuation—most of our people are spread across the galaxy, we won't last against a sustained attack from a large Force," Zelina said quickly and firmly, her General mindset taking over.

Master Nu put a hand on her shoulder to stop her from making any further premature plans. "Go see who is attacking, then we can figure out those details. I will start to spread the word and get the children somewhere safe."

Zelina nodded, swiftly leaving the Archives behind while Master Nu turned to address the room as a whole. She didn't hear what Master Nu said, as Zelina had already made her way out the door by the time the woman started to speak.

Zelina didn't dare move to the ground level that the attacking force had to have entered if they came through the main gate, only going down enough levels so that she would eventually come out on the mezzanine that would allow her to look down on the invaders from the shadows.

Zelina lifted the hood of her robe, allowing the dark garments to further blend her into the shadows of the Temple, her steps quick and silent as she rushed to see what they were up against.

As Zelina neared the front of the Temple, she could hear the rhythmic march of feet echoing off of the Temple's grand marble and stone structures, accompanied by the occasional blaster fire and, every now and then, the briefest hums of lightsabers.

Finally, Zelina came upon the great hall, taking care to stick to the wall until she was far enough in she would be able to see what was happening down below. At that point, she hurried towards one of the pillars, barely peeking around the corner so that she wouldn't risk getting spotted and shot at before she could report back to Master Nu.

Momentarily safe in the shadows, Zelina froze at the sight below her, the echoes of Umbara taking over reality as she tried to process what she was seeing.

_Take off your helmets! Stop firing! No one is in disguise!_

Zelina's breathing picked up as she was overcome by a sense of betrayal, fear, and sorrow, blasterfire erupting to strike down a pair of Jedi who had heard a commotion and rushed to see what was happening.

_We're all on the same side! We're firing on our own men!_

Those were…attacking the temple…killing Jedi in a routine execution style as they came across them…

 _We thought they were wearing our armor...But...but...it was..._ you _…_

Anakin's men. The 501st. In full force it would seem, not counting whatever forces were on Mandalore at present. They were marching through the temple, and as Zelina watched, they started to break off in smaller groups to sweep the Temple.

_Raise the alarm._

Zelina withdrew from the shadows, hurrying back the way she'd come. The dorms and apartments were in this direction. At this time at night, it would be where most of the Jedi were.

_Mount a defense._

They were only a mockery of the Jedi here at the Temple—the best of their number, and the majority, were spread across the galaxy fighting on the war front.

_Escape._

They wouldn't be able to stand against the full might of the 501st—Anakin had trained his men well, and they had served under not only one of the best Jedi the Order had to offer the war front, but had also taken part in the arrest and death of a Jedi Master. They knew how to fight Jedi, knew the chinks in a Jedi's armor, knew philosophies and strategies…

_Survive._

For a moment, Zelina wished that the Jedi had some sort of alarm to raise in the event of an emergency like what they found themselves faced with now. If there was, she didn't know about it. The best way she could think to rally up the Force Users in a last ditch effort was through word of mouth, and that might not be quick enough.

Master Nu was ahead of her, checking rooms with a gathering of Jedi slowly growing in number around her. Zelina picked up her pace, skidding to a stop in front of the Jedi Master.

"It's the 501st. There's an entire battalion sweeping into the Temple. They're going through execution style, and there may be more," Zelina informed Nu, her voice coming out breathless and strained. "Master, this isn't a battle we can win—we need to get as many people out as we can."

"Have faith, young one—" Master Nu started to try and bolster her, but Zelina cut her off.

"All due respect, Master, but this is a matter of numbers, strength, advantage—we don't have the people to fight them off, and they have a head start. They're already sweeping the front of the temple like it's a routine drill," Zelina argued. "Most of the Jedi here are younglings and Padawans, or Force Users with abilities not strong enough to warrant putting them on the front lines. We need to get people _out_."

"Then we'll get them out," Master Nu replied.

Zelina cast her gaze over the Jedi that Nu had already gathered, doing a quick head count. "We'll raise the alarm first. Send everyone to the dorms and the apartments—have them knock on every door, tell everyone that we're under attack. Send those that can fight to…" She wanted to say the Great Hall, but they wouldn't have enough forces to hold it by the time the 501st reached the Great Hall. "The hall around the spire, on the side closer to the back entrance. That way we don't expose ourselves to being instantly flanked if they have the entrances cut off, but we can still fall back to the Room of a Thousand Fountains if we need to."

"Surely they don't already have all the entrances blocked?" One of the older Jedi remarked skeptically. Zelina shot the man an icy look.

"I've worked closely with the 501st, and they are _good_ at their job. Blocking the entrances and hangers will be the first thing they did."

"Then how do you propose we get the younglings out?" another challenged.

She hated how much time they were wasting by arguing with her instead of letting her get her full plan out as she spun it on the fly. They had a point, they needed to get the children out, but couldn't do so if the entrances were blocked.

"Bring them to the storage level, the far east. We'll cut a hole in the wall and they can escape that way—maybe more, just in case one of those escapes are compromised. Vary their placements so that it's not easy for the troops to cut off our escape entirely. Make them work for it. The cut will take some time, though, so someone needs to go and do that _now_ ," Zelina said in a steely tone.

"I will," said a teenage girl Zelina did not recognize.

"So will I," said one of the Jedi that had briefly challenged Zelina's plan. They moved to start ushering the children with them, but Zelina stepped forward, stopping them.

"No, not yet—while you're cutting the escape, they're going to help warn everyone in the dorms and apartments. Once they're done, they'll go down to the Storage levels. The more runners we have, the faster the alarm will go out, and the faster we can mount a defense that might actually hold long enough for some to get away. I'll send some Jedi your way to see if we can take control of the lower service hanger as _another_ means of escape," Zelina said firmly. She could feel a mild pride coming off Master Nu at how well Zelina was taking command of the situation and guiding the others, though Zelina wasn't sure how long her nerve would hold. The deaths in the Force were starting to come to her without her having to seek them out, and the size of the losses they'd already sustained was starting to unbalance her. "Go, _now_ , we're running out of time!"

They all scattered almost instantly, each running to fulfill their given duties. Zelina touched Master Nu's arm to get the older woman's attention.

"Master Ti, she's here, right?" Zelina asked.

"In the meditation chambers," Master Nu informed her.

"Please, go get her, tell her what's happened, see if she can assist in either the escape or our front lines. I don't know what Jedi Masters are still at the Temple, but if there are any, get them first—we'll need them."

"And you, Du'ahn?"

"I'm going to start warning people closer to the danger and start getting our own front lines ready," Zelina told her grimly. The woman nodded curtly, and the two parted ways without wasting any more time on conversation. Zelina already felt that she'd spent too much time explaining her plan, even if it _had_ been necessary.

Now, in order to warn as many as she could, Zelina made her way to the ground floor of the Temple, sweeping rooms as she went with as much speed, searching antechambers with her senses but not daring to stretch out any further due to the climbing rate of death and loss she was feeling in the Force. She was tempted to try and shut it all out, if only for a little while, but considering the severity of their situation and the fact that she knew she was going to need all the help she could get, Zelina resisted the urge to shut down that sense, even for a little while.

As the Temple came alive with people aware of the situation, creating a domino effect of more and more runners spreading the word, the Force crackled with energy in the immediate vicinity. As entire wings became aware of an attack and growing death in the Force, Jedi began to flock towards Zelina's chosen point of defense. The 501st was coming closer in their surgical attack, which prompted Zelina to stop sending the younglings as runners, starting to send them down to the storage facilities. Hopefully, there hadn't been any complications with their escape route. If there was, surely someone would come get her, or would be able to think of another—

"Over there!"

Zelina whipped around where she stood in one of the mezzanines in the upper levels—she'd hoped to reach the communications center to send out a message, distress signal, or warning of some kind or maybe even the training rooms in case there were charges or any other weapons that they could use to help stand their ground just a little longer.

She activated her lightsaber mid-turn deflecting the blasterfire that came at her from a group of five with all the speed she had. Despite the risk, Zelina fell back on one blade for her deflections, then threw her lightsaber in a throw she'd been carefully practicing since she'd used it on Umbara.

Bile rose in her throat as five now headless bodies dropped to the floor, and Zelina swiftly turned her back on them to start heading the other way.

Considering she'd fought with these men and defended them on Umbara, she didn't want to get close enough to see if any of the troops she was about to kill tonight were men she had fought beside. She didn't even want to think about it.

With Jedi gathering in the hall where she wanted to mount her defense, and the 501st this close, Zelina could no longer run around the Temple sounding the alarm, she needed to get back to the other Jedi and help them organize for the fight that was to come.

* * *

The halls were eerily empty as Zelina raced to the position she'd told their fighters to gather, the Jedi who had been within hopefully flushed out and gathered in the hall by now. If there were already groups of the 501st reaching the communications center, then the main force of the 501st was possibly right around the corner of the spire, about to fall on their position.

Zelina came to a stop on one of the mezzanines overlooking the hall the other Jedi were supposed to be gathering in.

There weren't nearly as much able fighters as she would have hoped in the Temple, but she would make it work—they had to make it work if some of them were going to survive tonight.

Zelina jumped down with assistance from the Force, absorbing the slight shock of the fall by bending her knees before she stood up straight.

"We don't have much time," she said quickly, rushing over to the gathered Jedi. "The clones are expert soldiers, and the 501st have plenty of experience with Jedi. They'll know how to get past our defenses, but we can do the same thing. They're expert shots, they have good armor, maybe even some of them have shields. But they're vulnerable to Force attacks. So here's what we're going to do."

Zelina gestured the length of the hallway. "The first line is going to be made up of our lightsaber wielders—those that are good with Soresu or Djem So, you're going to be the line of defense for the second and third rows, you'll be the one keeping the 501st from gunning us down. Second line, I want anyone that's a good shot with a blaster, with or without the Force. We're going to take the 501st blasters, and we're going to turn it on them—they're just as susceptible to firepower as we are, maybe even more so. Third row, I want those that are the most skilled with Force abilities—throws, pushes, blasts, waves, anything you can use offensively to attack them where they're weakest. Throw their own explosives at them, detonate anything that's on their belt, turn their rotary cannons on them—I don't care, just get creative. It might not be the peaceful way you've been taught since you were younglings, but it's the only way we're going to buy enough time for some of us to make it out of here alive. Any healers among us, take the far back—you know your job. Keep us standing as long as you can."

"Why should we take orders from you?" Someone was bold enough to ask. Zelina turned a cold stare on the Jedi who'd spoken up.

"Because so far I'm the only one acting quickly enough to do something without endless debating until they're upon us. Now hurry, form up, before they reach us, and this becomes a bloodbath!" Zelina snapped, hurrying towards the mouth of the hall that connected to the back entrance. She peered down the hall towards the Room of a Thousand Fountains. Beyond that was the Meditation Chapel, which was connected to…

Zelina turned back towards the group of Jedi that was quickly forming up according to her instructions, three lines forming to block off the mouth of the hall. "Is anyone good with both lightsaber and Force abilities?" A handful of Jedi stepped forward or raised their hand, enough Zelina figured she could consider it a small task force. She hoped none of them were lying or boasting—arrogance showed itself at the most unfortunate times. "Come with me. We're going to keep them from circling around to flank us."

Seven Jedi of various ages and species rushed to catch up with her as Zelina turned on her heel without further explanation, already hurrying down the hall. She'd completely forgotten about the wraparound walkway that encircled the entire Temple. The troops could potentially use that to outflank them, which would completely collapse their defense strategy as well as put their escapees at risk.

But if they were to collapse the Meditation Chapel, it would cut off the wraparound's access to their hallway, and block anyone from getting in through the back entrance. It would also keep them from using that as a way out, but any of the main entrances were already no longer a viable means of escape.

"Where are Masters Ti and Nu?" Zelina asked the other Jedi as they hurried across the long stretch of hall and into the Room of a Thousand Fountains.

"They went to help with the escape attempts. To provide a defense for the children if the escape route is compromised and to help speed it along if they could." Behind them, shouts and blasterfire suddenly swelled to an alarming strength in volume, distracting everyone for a moment. Two of the Jedi following Zelina started to slow, appearing to want to race back to help.

"No! They're doing their job, let them—if we don't do ours we could be easily stopped and all of this would be for nothing," Zelina reprimanded them sharply.

"What are we doing, exactly?" one of them asked.

"We're going to collapse the Meditation Chapel."

Several horrified looks turned to Zelina, but she remained unwavering. "We don't have time to argue about how sacred the place is— _most of us aren't going to make it out of here alive_. We need to do everything we can to slow down those troops so that some of us at least have a fighting chance, including those younglings in the storage level. Collapsing that tunnel will cut off their back door into the Temple."

She could tell none of her fellow Jedi were pleased with this turn of events, but none of them spoke out against it.

Zelina felt more deaths in the Force, wincing as she tried not to think about whether it was Jedi or 501st dying, and what that would mean for their fragile last line of defense of the Temple. She could only use these borrowed Jedi for so long before they would be needed back at their line of defense. She'd hoped to try and secure the lower hanger with them as well, but she wasn't sure that their front lines could last long enough for Zelina to do so—nor did she think she could possibly hold a hangar by herself.

_Sithspit!_

Zelina pushed her dark thoughts aside, focusing on the task at hand. She had managed to avoid the invasion for the most part, aside from the five troopers she'd killed before retreating back to the main group, but the soldiers had only now reached where she and the other Jedi were in the temple—she'd be in the thick of it any moment now, especially if there were already soldiers coming around to flank the Jedi or if there were some stationed at the back entrance that would try to intervene as soon as they heard something happening.

"So how are we supposed to collapse the Meditation Chapel? We don't have any explosives," One of the Jedi questioned as they skidded to a halt outside of the chapel.

"The Force. Maybe weaken some foundations with our lightsabers before we try anything. We're going to aim for the statues and the pillars. If we knock over the statues, its more debris they have to get over. If we collapse enough of the pillars, we might be able to cause a cave in or collapse."

"You want us to pull down pillars and statues with the Force?" A girl asked in a flat tone.

She hated to be referring to and thinking of them so vaguely, but she dared not learn their names, or focus too long on their defining features, afraid that they would be cut down before the night was over, and her loss would only grow that much stronger.

"Between the eight of us, it shouldn't be that hard," Zelina returned flippantly, already pulling out her lightsaber and approaching one of the pillars. "Hurry, we don't have much time. Cut halfway through the pillars and statues—that should weaken them enough to make it easier to collapse them."

It was agonizingly slow work considering the pressure of the attack on the temple looming over all of them, but they focused on weakening the foundations first, the eight of them managing to make quick work of the task. It just didn't feel like it was quick because they all knew how little time they had.

Once all of the foundations were weakened, Zelina and her small group of Jedi returned to the entrance they'd come through, gathering in a cluster dust behind the doorway as they gazed at the peaceful room they were about to decimate.

"All right…we're going to start with the furthest, and work our way back to this point. Some of us need to be ready to deflect any blaster fire if troops come running, all right?" Zelina asked pointedly. Once she had several nods of confirmation, Zelina took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing…"

Reaching out to the Force, Zelina gasped, almost immediately pulling back in on herself. She'd been largely ignoring that part of her senses during the course of the attack, only allowing enough of a trickle to keep her attached for her basic abilities. She'd known that the death toll was high, that there had to be darkness closing in from all directions…

But she hadn't expected it to the magnitude that she suddenly felt in clear detail.

Death was already a resonating event that hovered over her when she felt it, digging deep within her soul and refusing to leave her for days after she'd felt it. This feeling was on a scale that not only slithered through the entire Temple, but one that seemed to be choking the galaxy as a whole.

The darkness in the galaxy had already been a large beast looming over everything, a monster that Zelina took no joy in having to ignore considering there was no discernable source she could locate to try and root it out. Now, she could feel the light rapidly weakening with every breath, something she knew could only be happening if lights were _dying_ all across the galaxy.

The Temple wasn't the only place this was happening—these attacks were happening across the galaxy.

Zelina's mind immediately cast to Obi-Wan and Ahsoka on the front lines on different planets, Obi-Wan facing Grievous and Ahsoka facing Maul, now possibly with an entire army turning on them as well. Were they all right? Had they already been killed by treachery? Had they managed to escape?

_Anakin._

Since he hadn't been at the Temple, Zelina hadn't thought to worry about her closest friend. Now, in this moment that she realized that this was happening _everywhere_ , Zelina had the sudden overwhelming fear that her friend might be gunned down in the street or the Senate.

_Anakin…_

_No_! No, she couldn't let fear seep in prematurely, or mourn before she even knew if she'd lost anyone so close to her. There was nothing she could do for them where she was now, and she was needed by those who remained inside the Temple. She needed to focus and do her part in trying to make sure some of them survived.

Blinking away the horrid images that flashed through her mind and sucking in several breaths, Zelina did her best to persevere through the raw sense of loss and darkness that was cloying the very air around her, stretching out with her senses to the pair of pillars farthest in the Meditation Chamber, putting out a hand to let the other Jedi know she was ready, and pulling with all her mental might.

Stone rumbled and cracked, the sound echoing through the halls of the Temple. She felt the other seven Jedi also reach out in the Force, most of them also grabbing at the last two pillars, though someone started to tug at one of the statues.

In what might have been a minute or more, a resounding crack snapped through the Temple's cavernous halls, and the pillars collapsed to the ground, falling over the mouth of the smaller hall that led to the back entrance. Zelina quickly grabbed at the statue that her fellow Jedi was trying to move, the two of them finding the giant statue easier to topple than one of the pillars that supported the roof of the cavernous room.

"The statues are easier, go for them first—try to tip them so they block off the walkway," Zelina ordered, moving on to the next. She could feel her fellow Jedi teaming up to take on other statues, and she did her best not to think of the gap between her Force Abilities and hers as she watched several of them take time to fell one statue, while she only required the help of one to quickly topple a statue.

Dust and chalky smoke started to waft towards them as the giant stone structures toppled, and distantly Zelina heard the sound of troopers shouting growing steadily closer.

"They know we're doing something, hurry," Zelina urged, tapping into the adrenaline she felt to topple the statues faster.

One of them, she wasn't sure if it was her or a group of her fellow Jedi, managed to knock a statue into a pillar, taking out the giant stone structure in the process. Ceiling could be heard crumbling from above, and Zelina latched onto the bud of hope in her chest like a lifeline.

"Hurry!" she repeated, grabbing onto a pillar and pulling with all the emotion that was rising in her veins, begging her to cut them off before they could arrive, to buy time.

Blaster fire came towards them, and Zelina felt a plasma bolt brush close to her calf, the sting almost enough to turn her attention. One of her companions activated their lightsaber to deflect incoming fire, and Zelina forced herself to keep her attention on the pillars that they were now all desperately tugging at to cause the complete collapse they could feel coming.

Just a little more, Zelina told herself, hearing the satisfying _crack_ as another pillar gave way and ceiling rained down on the soldiers firing at them. There was a momentary pause in fire as Zelina grabbed the next pillar, feeling a couple of the other Jedi join her in trying to drag it down. A cacophony of voices echoed towards them from the hall they were trying to collapse, voices of alarm and shouted orders, but she ignored it, hearing the hum of the lightsaber as the same Jedi companion continued to defend their position.

More cracking, more crumbling, the hall was weakened, just a little more and it would cave in, the way would be sealed, and they could hurry back to their front lines.

Hopefully they were still holding, or all Zelina's group would have succeeded in doing was blocking a way out.

A cry sounded by Zelina's ear, and she was hit with the sudden loss of life in close proximity, right next to her. For a moment, Zelina almost found herself standing on Ringo Vinda again, with Tup's blaster pointed at her and General Tiplee shot in cold blood right behind her, a direct head shot that killed the other woman instantly.

Her thoughts from that terrifying day echoed back to her…

So this is how I go…gunned down by one of Anakin's men for no clear reason…

Sick to her stomach, Zelina pulled on the final pillar with the rest of her strength, feeling several lives snuffed out directly ahead of her as the pillar crumbled in front of the door Zelina and her now six companions were standing in front of, knocking the other pillar aside. The roar of collapsing stone was deafening as the roof collapsed inwards on the Chapel, several chunks of stone escaping to clatter across the floor into the Room of a Thousand Fountains.

And then silence…besides the distant sounds of fighting behind them and muffled shouts of soldiers who could not get to them through the back entrance now.

Zelina finally opened her eyes, turning to see the girl who had been incredulous that they were going to be pulling down the ceiling with the Force now staring blankly up at the ceiling of the Thousand Fountains, a still-smoking hole in her throat.

Zelina cleared her throat subconsciously, trying to ignore the nigh-strangled sound that it made as she carefully stepped around the girl. "C'mon…we have to get back to the lines—they need us, I'm sure," Zelina said softly.

_No time to mourn, no time for a burial or goodbyes or even to move the body aside. Just movement, constant movement, a desperate defense._

Returning to the defense that Zelina had organized, she was partially pleased to see that they seemed to be holding their lines, with some Jedi using blasters to fire back as she'd instructed. There were, however, several dead on the ground, with the 501st growing uncomfortably close to the front line. Zelina's companions jumped into place where the heaviest casualties had been, lightsabers ablaze or hands flying to perform basic pushes and throws.

Part of her was tempted to go right to the front line, to deflect like her life depended on it, perhaps to even jump into the main fray and start cutting down troopers in close combat.

But these weren't battle droids. These were men that she'd fought beside and defended, men she'd once had to stop from accidentally massacring one another, now turning their blasters on the Temple and successfully wiping out the Jedi within. Not only that, but she knew jumping into the middle would be a suicide move.

Instead, she dropped back to an in between spot, standing in the middle of those firing back with stolen blasters and those using the Force. Despite her suggestions, they Jedi were refraining from using the more brutal methods she'd suggested, and as much as the thought sickened her, someone needed to do what no one else was willing to if they were going to last.

Spotting an Arc Trooper on the floor somewhere decently close to their lines, Zelina reached out a hand, using the Force to call the detonators on the fallen soldier's belt into her hands. With a flick of her thumbs the explosives were activated, and she lobbed them back at the mass of soldiers flowing towards their small lines.

As two fireballs scorched the hall of the Temple, Zelina felt the sharp displeasure from some of the older Jedi in the fight, could feel them judging her for participating in dirty tactics.

She didn't care. She was grey, and she was going to do whatever she could to save as many of the Jedi as she could, without trying to adhere to their strict moral code. This wasn't war anymore, this was raw survival.

"Don't let them get too close!" Zelina barked in a reminder, her voice sharp as she made her way briefly to the front of the lines to send out a strong Force wave, one that knocked the advancing soldiers back enough to give the Jedi more breathing room yet again. She glanced up at the mezzanines that were on either side of their position, noting that there were troopers up on those mezzanines and swiftly making their way in their direction. They would be able to come in from behind if they weren't careful.

"Watch up top—troopers trying to come around!" Zelina called, using the Force to wrench a blaster from the hands of a soldier that had been stunned by her wave as she retreated back behind the lines of her lightsaber wielding companions, plunging herself into the Force fully once more as she and the other Jedi using blasters took aim at the troopers trying to rush by on the mezzanines. She couldn't breathe with the raw sense of loss that pierced her senses here on their feeble front lines—both Jedi and soldier—but she fired nonetheless, letting the Force guide her shots to try and suppress the advancing Forces.

"Grenade!" someone shouted, and Zelina reacted on pure instinct.

"Down!" she yelled, throwing herself to the ground just as an explosion rocked the middle of their ranks. Her ears rang, and debris pelted her from above, but she wasn't focused on the devastation that had just been done to their small fighting force.

Two warnings shot through Zelina at the same time, pulling her attention away from their rapidly fraying defenses and towards two different points in the temple. Her immersion made her aware of a dark presence making its way swiftly towards their small resistance, a dark presence that was also powerful with the Force—

Zelina's attention was turned away from the darksider as she also felt the panic, pain, and loss of life suddenly coming from the storage level.

 _The younglings_.

"Get up!" Zelina shouted, unable to hear her voice properly as her ears rang. "Fall back to the Thousand Fountains! Master Drallig, can you hold the line?"

The Jedi Master in question, someone she'd barely noticed was in their line of defenses due to the chaotic nature of this entire attack, spoke briefly and to the point, possibly sensing the same thing she did.

"I'll handle this—go!" he commanded, and Zelina took off down the hall without even pausing to see what state she had just left their front lines.

That defense was no longer her focus—now her focus was the safety of whoever was still alive in the storage level by the time she arrived. She just hoped she alone would be enough.

Zelina raced back through the Room of a Thousand Fountains to make her way back to the storage level, seeking out the passage that the other Jedi had to take in order to get there in the first place. Her skin prickled not from the Force but out of paranoia to be racing alone through a spacious room while the Temple was under siege, but she tossed the feeling aside. Instead, she unhooked her lightsabers and activated it, preparing herself to come under any sudden fire.

Zelina finally spotted the smaller doorway that led to the hall that would bring her to the storage level, and she picked up speed, feet hardly hitting the ground as her pounding heart urged her faster, _faster_. There were younglings down there, _children_ , and they were in _danger_.

A blast rocked the wall directly in front of her, chunks of stone flying inwards and towards her. Acting on raw battle instincts, Zelina's lightsaber slashed through the large piece that soared towards her, pushing the two halves aside with the Force to clear her path and leave her unscathed…mostly. A cut on her forehead gave her the unpleasant sensation of blood trickling into her eyebrow—she only hoped that it wouldn't get into her eyes.

Zelina didn't have much time to ponder her vision remaining unobscured, as blaster fire suddenly poured out of the hole in the wall. It seemed the 501st had forced a new entrance into the Room of a Thousand Fountains, just as Zelina and her group had forced a collapse to try and stop them. Shoving down her panic, Zelina fell back into a Soresu form to stave off the sudden outpour of fire. She was hard pressed to keep up with the furious assault, pushing herself deeper and deeper into the Force in an effort to avoid getting shot.

She needed to fight back. Despite it's amazing defense, Soresu wouldn't help her in the long run here—she needed to respond.

Desperate to repel the forces that were slowly gathering in front of her, Zelina grabbed one of the chunks of stone that had blown inward, lobbing it at the soldiers trying to shoot her down, sending a quick Force push as a follow up attack.

A blaster bolt scored a hit on Zelina's shoulder, the force of the impact knocking her back. She twisted her body to try and land on her hands and knees, hoping to push herself back to her feet in time to get back in the fight before they could cut her down execution style.

Zelina cast her gaze upwards to assess the situation, the arm of her bad shoulder refusing to support her weight as Zelina tried to force herself back to her feet. Sadly not for the first time in her life, but very likely the last, Zelina was staring down the barrel of a blaster that belonged to someone who was supposed to be fighting beside her, not against her. Yet again it was a member of the 501st, and Zelina couldn't shake the bitter irony of how this trooper she did not recognize was about to finish the job Tup had started on Ringo Vinda.

Blaster fire echoed around the hall, and Zelina tensed at the sound, expecting it to be the sound of her death and the death of the Jedi trying to hold the line at the opposite end of the room. Instead, the soldier in front of her arched as smoking holes appeared through his chest, crumpling to the floor like the pillars in the Meditation Chamber. All the troopers that had been coming through the hole with him similarly collapsed, cut down from behind by someone Zelina could not see.

Realizing she hadn't been killed—at least not yet—Zelina hung her head and let out a shaking breath of relief. Hurried footsteps approached where she remained crouched, gathering her shaking wits as she tried to process this new near-death experience and the continued loss in the Force that assaulted her senses even now.

An arm grasped her under her good shoulder, hauling her to her feet with a firm, familiar, and steady hand. Finally looking up again to see who her timely rescuer was, Zelina was met with a multitude of familiar faces.

"Reporting for duty, General Du'ahn."


	15. Into a Dark Dawn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear to everything in and out of creation, you all better leave a comment, because I've been crafting this last scene in my head for FOUR YEARS!!!

In that moment, Zelina didn't care that she was supposed to be a battle hardened Jedi General. A wild sounding cry of relief burst past Zelina's usually careful but momentarily decimated control, and before she could stop herself, she wrapped her arms around Cruiser in a desperate hug.

"I don't think I've ever been so glad to see anyone in my entire life," she said weakly, realizing what she was doing and swiftly pulling away from her Commander.

"I'm sure General Skywalker has me beat somewhere in there," Cruiser quipped in an effort to lighten the mood or at least distract from Zelina's uncharacteristic action. "How can we help?"

Zelina cast her gaze towards the group that was now gathering in the Room of a Thousand Fountains through the hole the 501st had blown in the wall, doing a quick head count to see who was here.

Cruiser of course, Keen-eye, Bruiser, Dash, Nex, Var, Sentry, Hardball, Nick, Aalto, Salvor, Zedge, Darius, Trimmy, Crossbones, Canner, Click…

Everyone who had their chips removed, save a few who wouldn't be much help in a ground battle like this, such as Rider and Commy, was here. They were all here.

Zelina wrestled with her emotions to be the leader she needed to be. The sounds of a vicious fight on the other side of the room reminded her just why she couldn't effort to get emotional at the moment.

"The younglings," she said as she was painfully reminded of why she'd been running through the Room of a Thousand Fountains in the first place. "On the storage level, we were trying to get them out, there was pain and death—they're in trouble," Zelina said urgently, snapping back into full attention. The majority of the men lifted their weapons as Zelina mentioned children in danger.

"By your lead, General," Sentry said somberly.

"Should some of us go reinforce your lines, General?" Dash asked. Hardball hefted his rotary cannon at the proposition, but Zelina waved them off.

"No, not yet anyway—without me, they'll think your more troops come to kill them and attack you. Hold this position—keep them from getting flanked. The rest, with me—I don't know what will be waiting for us down in the storage level, but I'd like to be prepared," Zelina ordered. The men shifted to the two groups depending on their skills, Keen-eye taking off to find a good vantage point in the room, Hardball turning his gun on the hole in the wall…

Cruiser, Nick, Dash, Nex, and Bruiser were among those that chose to go with Zelina, with Nick nearly pouncing on Zelina.

"Is there something you have against this shoulder, General?" he asked, trying to assess the wound as they rushed through the halls.

"Yeah, it insulted my mother once—don't worry about me, Nick, I can heal myself. I've learned a few tricks. Save your supplies for someone that really needs it," Zelina informed him, covering the wound with her hand so she could start using her recently developed healing abilities to heal her own wound before it hindered her in a life and death situation. If she wasn't so high strung on adrenaline in such a dire situation, Zelina would be worried about how much she was using draining abilities in the Force.

When they reached the storage level, Zelina had to suppress a groan as she was reminded of the enormity of this level—a single hall stretched in front of them, with offshoots to the left and right stretching out in what seemed like endless rows. This _was_ where they kept everything they used to feed an supply an entire Temple full of Jedi of various species.

 _Not anymore_ , a dark voice whispered in her mind, and Zelina shoved the feeling aside, activating both lightsabers.

"They'll be at the far end. That's where they would have cut into the wall to escape," Zelina informed her men, already racing forwards. The lightsabers were activated so that if there were soldiers sweeping the halls around them, she'd be ready.

They got halfway down the hall when blasterfire reached her ears, and Zelina turned and angled herself just in time to deflect shots that were headed her way from a hall on their left. Three 501st troops had been halfway down the hall, turning when they heard the sound of Zelina's lightsabers swinging even loosely through the air. She deflected one of the shots back into one of the troops, with Zelina's men returning fire and quickly putting down the other two.

If there were troops sweeping the hall…then whatever happened, there had to have been survivors.

"Keep moving, I'm going to start looking for any survivors that might be hiding. They might attack you, which is why I'm doing it," Zelina ordered Cruiser before she broke away to head down the hall on their left. Her men formed a tight defense before they crept forward, considering they no longer had a Jedi in front of them to deflect any shots, though Zelina didn't worry—if they'd made their way into the Temple, they would be able to handle themselves within it. In fact, they might have a better chance without a Jedi leading them than with—the 105th might mistake them as fellow attackers.

Zelina's heart twisted painfully once more at the raw betrayal of it all, but once again shoved the feeling down as far as it would go. She couldn't afford to focus on the horror and trauma of it all right now—she needed to do her job.

Zelina let her lightsaber light the antechambers that ran the length of the hall, hoping that anyone inside would realize she was an ally and not an enemy. She didn't want to start calling out, lest she attract unwanted attention, so this was going to have to be the best she could do. Nearly at the end of the hall, Zelina heard a whimper in one of the rooms just ahead of her. She paused, raising her lightsaber higher to cast her beam of light a little farther.

"It's all right, they're gone now—I'm here to get you out," Zelina called.

There were a few moments of silence before the sound of shuffling feet reached her, and Zelina saw the glimpse of an eye peeking out at her much higher up than she'd initially expected. In the next moment, the teenage girl who'd volunteered to help cut through the wall appeared, with two smaller children hiding behind her. The girl's face was tear-streaked, a tremble in her frame.

Zelina ushered them towards her, already turning to head back out of the hall with her new charges in tow. "We don't have much time—our lines were pushed back to the Thousand Fountains, so we need to round up everyone who's still alive and try to get you all out another way. What happened?" Zelina asked as the girl came even with her.

"Some of us got through, we were sending some older kids with groups of younger, and…They must have had a perimeter around the entire Temple, or someone saw something, because suddenly there were clones everywhere and—"

The girl cut off, one of the children hiding behind her letting out a small sob.

"I understand," Zelina said softly, sparing the girl from having to go into any details. When they reached the main hall, Zelina gestured towards the halls they had passed. "There's no troopers in these halls. See if you can find anyone else, I'm going to keep searching, okay?"

The girl nodded, grasping both children by the hand as she chose one of the halls to search and disappeared from Zelina's immediate view. Taking a deep but shaking breath, Zelina started to prepare herself for what she was eventually going to see before she continued with her sweep.

She'd only made it down a few more halls and sent a handful of younglings in the same direction as the teenager when the sound of a firefight reached her ears.

"General!" came Cruiser's sharp call, and without hesitation, Zelina broke out in a run down the main hall, knowing that the halls would have already been swept for threats by Cruiser, and the main problem was whatever had triggered the firefight ahead. In fact, she saw several 501st bodies dotting the hall as she sprinted towards Cruiser's current position.

By the time Zelina reached her men, she already had the sense that they had come across a larger force of 501st that was looking for survivors, or even that were attempting to stop other Jedi from escaping through the hole, or were hoping to use the escape route to flank their forces in the Thousand Fountains. She was not, however, prepared for the sight that was the end hall, where the initial slaughter had been carried out as the 501st cut off their escape.

As Zelina turned just to the right where her men were now seeking cover and returning fire towards a larger force down the hall, Zelina temporarily froze up, eyes staring at the ground.

Bodies. Mostly of little ones who hadn't been able to move in time. She could see one of them was the Jedi who had volunteered with the teenage girl to help cut through the walls. There were also a few young Padawans and older younglings who weren't quite the age of Padawan who had apparently tried to protect the youngest. She spotted another older Jedi, but at that point her stomach was rebelling, and she couldn't look anymore. Tears stung her eyes as she forced herself to look down the hall, towards the troops that were firing on her men, and now her. Possibly the very troops that had carried out the massacre.

Shaking breaths passed between Zelina's clenched teeth as rage bubbled up inside of her, and Zelina suddenly reached for the Force in brutal determination.

In the back of her mind, Zelina noted the fact that she could sense the darksider had reached their lines up above, and the sudden overwhelming sense of being nearly out of time. Those revelations were afterthoughts as she positioned herself in the center of the hall, gathering the Force and her hands to her very center.

"Move!" she commanded her men in a sharp bark, not wanting them to get caught in the blast radius. They did so without hesitation, throwing themselves into antechambers as Zelina stepped forward, shoving both hands in the direction of the 501st the same time her foot connected with the ground. A blast far more concentrated and powerful than what she'd let loose in the industrial district ripped from her hands, cracking stone and blowing chunks of debris down the hall with it as it ripped towards the troops defenseless against the blast. Blue and white armored 501st went flying, colliding with both wall and ceiling simply with the initial impact. Wanting to make sure none survived, Zelina took another step that coincided with a second, just as powerful second blast that swiftly followed the first, slamming bodies and still living troopers against the wall and the corners of the antechamber. If it hadn't been for the sound of her blast slamming into and cracking stone, they probably would have been able to hear bones snapping.

One trooper who had collided against a body instead of stone staggered to his feet, but Zelina simply ripped his blaster out of his hand and into her own awaiting one, turning his own weapon against him and killing the trooper with a single shot.

Silence reigned in the hall as Zelina rapidly reigned in her temper, taking several deep breaths as she tried to cool the boil of her blood, refusing to look down at the ground as the nausea almost overcame her again.

"General…" came Cruiser's cautious voice. Zelina turned her head slightly in his direction so he would know she was listening as she continued to try and gather herself, her troops reforming behind her. "They were trying to get to someone—or someones—that barricaded themselves into the room at the far end."

"We need to pull them out—we're almost out of time. Our front lines aren't going to hold out much longer," Zelina murmured, already moving forward to rush down the hall. She had to slow down enough to make sure she didn't trip over bodies once she reached her carnage of the 501st, soon arriving to see that whoever was in the last room had ripped a storage shelf from the wall and used it to block the door.

Zelina splayed her hand against the metal, leaning in to hear any possible voices on the other side.

"Is anyone in there?" Zelina asked, though she already knew the answer. She just needed them to hear her voice to know it was a friendly on the other side.

"Knight Du'ahn?" came an oh-so-welcome voice. Zelina almost wilted in relief at the speck of good news.

"Master Ti—it's good to hear your still alive. We don't have much time, our front lines are failing, and we need to get the rest of the younglings out of here while we still have a chance," Zelina explained quickly.

Somewhere other than this route—she wouldn't be surprised if there were sharpshooters or some other kind of trooper watching these escape routes to make sure no one made it out this way anymore. Zelina had a backup plan forming in her mind, though, one that would hopefully work.

"One moment…"

Zelina stepped back, the groan of metal informing her that Ti was moving the massive shelf out of the way. As the metal slowly peeled back from the doorway, a small horde of younglings of various ages darted out into the hallway. Ti was the last one through, letting the shelf drop back into place.

"Where's Master Nu?" Zelina asked, partially afraid to hear the answer.

"She went through with one of our escape groups—she wasn't here when the troops attacked," Ti informed her, her sharp gaze cast towards the soldiers who were waiting for them down the hall. "I thought you said it was clear?"

"It is," Zelina told her, turning to make her way back towards her awaiting men. "I want half of you in the front, half in the back—make sure no one surprises us, all right?"

There was a brief chorus of 'Yes General' and 'Yes Ma'am' following her order, and Shaak Ti looked at Zelina curiously.

"How is it your men are not attacking, yet the others are?" she inquired. Zelina couldn't help her cool tone as she turned her attention to Ti.

"I listened to Fives."

Letting the Jedi Master stew on that information, Zelina organized their group as she'd instructed, sending out a call now that all the soldiers had been cleared from the storage level.

"Anyone still alive, we're making our way out of the Temple _now_. It's our only chance to do so," she nearly bellowed, letting her voice carry. "I suggest you come with us…Also, nobody attack the purple marked troopers—they're on our side," she added, not wanting some overeager Padawan or Initiate to round the corner and instantly attack at the sight of Republic Troopers.

They waited long enough for the survivors to shuffle into view, the group far smaller than Zelina would have liked—she didn't know how many had gone down to the Storage Level to escape, or how many had disappeared into Coruscant's depths, but judging by the carnage of the back hall and their small group of survivors, most of those that had tried to escape had been killed. Or perhaps she was wrong—perhaps a large group had escaped, and she simply wasn't aware of the success because she didn't know how many had made their way towards an escape rather than the front lines.

 _The front lines_. Chuba, they needed to get moving. Again shoving everything that happened aside to haunt her later if she managed to survive, Zelina by pure habit at this point took the lead, ready to deflect any fire that came at her men so they could protect the surviving younglings. Nick stood among the younglings looking for anyone that was in need of medical attention. Shaak Ti took a position at the back of the group, and Zelina couldn't help but be painfully aware of the fact that the Jedi Master didn't have a lightsaber.

_Because she lost it when Grievous kidnapped the Chancellor…I remember now._

And yet the woman still had survived this attack this long…she was a Jedi Master for a reason.

When Zelina emerged from the hall and into the Room of a Thousand Fountains, she was not prepared for just how hot of a zone it was, despite being able to hear the sounds of an intense battle echoing towards them as they rushed to make it out.

The men she had left to guard the giant hole in the wall were hard pressed to keep a suddenly heavy force of 501st from overtaking them, and the Jedi who had been holding their position at the mouth of the Room of a Thousand Fountains were being violently pushed back. She could see flashes of a blue lightsaber clashing with the now fragile front lines, the hooded figure locked in battle with Master Cin Drallig.

And the Jedi Master was _losing_.

He was the best lightsaber duelist on that front line, if he went down—

Up above, Zelina could see troopers starting to take the upper levels. From where she stood, temporarily behind what still resisted being claimed as enemy territory, Zelina saw a turbolift open and a small figure disappear inside moments before a 501st started sweeping the area, barely missing the tiny escapee.

There were still children in the Temple.

Zelina turned to the small group with her and the men who had come to her timely rescue. "Get them out of here," she said firmly, gesturing towards the younglings. "We'll blast the 501st out of this hall long enough to get you all out of the temple, then you get Master Ti and these children to safety, do you understand me?"

"General, you're coming—"

" _They_ are your priority, Cruiser, _they're_ your mission. Not me. _They're_ why you're here. I'll be your only chance for cover."

" _Zedge_!" Darius shouted over by the hole, and both Cruiser and Zelina turned in time to see the 105th soldier fall to the ground with a hole smoking in his armor. Cruiser fixed Zelina with a burning stare.

"We'll not leave you behind in this, General. We don't leave our comrades behind," Cruiser argued.

Zelina grasped his arm in a firm grip. "It's war, Commander, sometimes you _have_ to. I'm needed here. You're needed out there. If you stay and try to get me out with you, this will all be for nothing, but I promise if I make it out, I'll contact you. _Go_ , Cruiser!"

Cruiser seemed to be in a state of agony of soul, but Zelina could see him wavering, see his soldier's logic and his loyalty winning out. "Zelina—"

She did her best to ignore the instant pain that swept through her as he _finally_ used her name as she'd asked him too during this whole war. But she did not give in.

"That's an _order_ , Commander!" she said sharply. Behind them, Zelina heard several cries for Master Drillag, and the blaster fire grew more intense. It didn't take much to imagine what had happened. " _GO_!"

Zelina dropped Cruiser's arm, turning to glance over her shoulder as she saw the hooded dark sider carving mercilessly through what remained of the lines. No, they weren't lines anymore—the defense had been broken, and the Jedi scattered as they did their best to hold their own, looking for a way out, a weak point in the sudden flow of 501st. Her men rushed the hole in the wall as she ordered, Shaak Ti and the older survivors at their side to carve a path through the 501st, making a beeline for the back entrance. With their numbers, Zelina had to trust they'd make it out just fine, even as she saw 501st in the hall block part of Zelina's view of her men and push their way through the now unhindered hole in the wall.

She was trapped…but not without a purpose.

Zelina took a deep breath, gathering her hands towards her chest once again with her burning gaze centered on the 501st she could see trying to flank her men and the survivors. With a shout, Zelina sent a Force Burst ripping through their defenses, allowing the escapees some relief from any fire from behind. As soon as her eyes confirmed this, she turned back towards the Room of a Thousand Fountains, noting how close the 501st now was, and the fact there were no Jedi defenses standing between her and the troops.

But she didn't want to go towards the darksider cutting down the defenders that remained in a blatant bloodbath—her objective had disappeared into a turbolift, and she needed to cut through the troops in that direction, to the right of the bloodbath.

Both lightsabers ablaze to deflect the fire that turned on her as the last of the standing Jedi began to fall, Zelina sprinted off to the right, gathering the Force towards herself as she kicked off with a prominent leap up to the next level, allowing a repulse to ripple out around her and send any clone that was within it's radius flying. Her hand slammed against the control panel to open the lift doors, and she backed inside, deflecting any shots that came her way before the doors slid shut.

Zelina only allowed herself a sigh for the briefest of moments before she leapt into action—quite literally. She forced her way on top of the lift, holding onto the side of the lift's tunnel as she carefully used the force to send the lift as far down as it would go. Once the top of the lift disappeared from below her feet, Zelina began to climb, carefully opening herself to the Force.

She did so just in time to feel the last life light of the Jedi that had fought to defend the Temple disappear, snuffed out by the darksider she refused to focus on at present, instead turning her attention up as she snapped her presence inwards towards herself so only someone bonded to her could sense her, and even then, it would be a faint sense that was only granted because of the advantage of a well-established bond.

She discreetly felt around for the presence of the child she had seen disappear into the lift, climbing higher and higher as her senses continued to seek out the child on levels further and further up until— _there_.

And she had been initially wrong—there was more than one presence, more than one child that had apparently been cut off from escaping and chose to hide from the troops. Not a lot, but enough to make her worry. She also realized with a start that she recognized a couple of the presences as her own students.

_The troops haven't swept the dorms yet—they'll find the younglings where they're hiding now. I have to find them first, move them somewhere the troops have already searched, hide them better—hide them from the darksider!_

With a new fiery determination, Zelina forced herself to climb to the level she could sense the few younglings were hiding with a newfound speed. When she reached the level, she forced the doors open with the Force and threw herself across with a smaller Force-assisted leap than she'd used to reach the turbolifts. Once she landed, she allowed herself a moment to breath, alarmed to find the sound heavy and labored with exertion. Away from the heat of the battle, after all the use of the Force, the running and the close calls, Zelina could feel herself tiring.

But she couldn't stop. Not here, not now…She had to get to the younglings.

Physically closing the turbolift doors this time in an effort to save her strength, Zelina hurried down the hall, hand brushing along the wall as she monitored the children's presences in the Force, using them as a beacon to find where she needed to go.

She sincerely hoped the darksider hadn't felt them, yet.

Zelina forced the apartment door open with the Force when she felt the children directly across from her, hearing several sharp squeals of terror as they realized they'd been discovered. Not wanting them to accidentally give away their position, Zelina was swift to try and calm them.

"It's all right, I'm here to help, it's me," Zelina assured them quickly, shutting the door behind her. At the sound of her voice—distinctly _not_ a clone, and to some, a familiar one—several heads peeked out from behind furniture.

"Master Du'ahn! There are too many of them—what are we going to do?" a young Mirialan boy—Osi Raas, one of her students—asked her as Zelina kneeled in the middle of the gathering five younglings. Latoria, the togruta girl, was also here, as was Bren Rugor—a human child, and Sy Klivian, an Iridonian zabraac boy. The fifth was the girl that Zelina had seen dash into the turbolift, a small twi'lek with sea green skin and wide brown eyes. She did not have a name for her, but the girl inched closer once she saw the others gathering around her.

"We're going to hide. Not here, the troops will be sweeping these rooms soon. We're going to go…" Zelina's mind jumped through a crude mental layout of the Temple, trying to think of somewhere she could hide five children. She would run with them, but she knew they were trapped. Trying to take a hangar bay or escape out one of the main entrances would be suicide. They needed to hide and wait for the main force to leave, for the clones to believe that all the Jedi had been killed. "The dojos. Most of you can hide in the saber alcove, or in the chest if you're small enough. But before we do, I need you all to remember our lesson on Force Stealth. Do you all remember?"

"Yes, Master Du'ahn," the four that had been in her class echoed. The twi'lek girl looked terrified that she didn't know what was going on, but Zelina placed a reassuring hand on the child's shoulder.

"We're going to do that now. There's a darksider in this temple you need to hide from, so when you hide, I need you to not come out for anything and to hide your presences in the Force even if something happens to me, okay?" Zelina said firmly, looking each child in the eye. "I'll hide your presences, you just need to focus on holding it, okay?"

The children nodded, the twi'lek girl frozen in place as Zelina closed her eyes and focused on the five children in front of her.

It was going to take all of her remaining strength in the Force to hide them, but it was necessary if they children were going to survive past tonight.

One at a time, the five children disappeared from the Force, and she gave each child the job of holding their presence in by themselves, just like they'd practiced. If they struggled to grasp their presence, she spent a bit more time helping them get it down, though she knew she was painfully pressed for time.

The twi'lek girl took enough tries to grasp the concept and her presence Zelina momentarily feared they'd be there until the 501st was upon them, but she finally managed to grasp and hold her presence firmly after Zelina finished hiding it.

Now she just needed to physically hide them.

"Stay behind me. If I tell you to hide and we're not there, jump into the closest room or around the corner until I say it's safe to come out," Zelina said softly as she rose to her feet. The children nodded, falling into a loose group just behind her as the stepped out of the dorm and back into the dangerous halls of the Temple. Zelina looked behind her just long enough to put a finger to her lips so they knew to be quiet, then took the hand of the nearest child to be sure they stayed with her, hurrying forward down the hall towards the front of the Temple in a crouched run.

Much to her disturbance, and further trauma for later once everything settled in, there were bodies strewn across the halls, most of them appearing further towards the front, where the greatest massacre had occurred before the alarm had been raised. Zelina wanted to hide the children from it, to avert their eyes from the senseless death of their people and peers all around them, but she couldn't, and they had to keep moving, to soundlessly step over the bodies without a sound of horror.

They made it to the center of the Temple without incident, though Zelina stopped them right outside the circular space. Here she was certain that they would run into troops, as it was a cavernous circular room that connected the Temple to everything. Someone would spot them, and if she wasn't quick enough, someone would announce their presence, even if it was only by a scream as they were cut down. She had to resist the ridiculous urge to throw her cloak atop the younglings in an absurd effort to hide them from view.

If anything, a wiggling mass moving under a suspended cloak would _draw_ attention.

"Stay close to the wall," Zelina hissed towards the children as she cautiously stepped out into the central connected halls built around the Temple's spire. Her lightsabers remained in her hands, though deactivated to avoid drawing attention. The slight contact she retained with the Force thrummed with an urgency to reach her destination and hide the children. She could catch glimpses of troops on multiple levels sweeping halls and rooms once more, their white armor easy to spot against some of the Temple's darker hued areas, the troops making sure no Jedi had slipped through the cracks or survived their injuries.

Zelina ducked lower as she caught a glimpse of white armor moving on their floor behind them, the small group of Jedi barely out of his view. She ushered her little charges to move faster, waiting until they'd reached the west wing of the Temple in their circular run to pull everyone out of the hall, her heart hammering as she looked violently around to make sure that no one was in the spacious antechamber with them.

The dojos had to be just a little farther south, but she dared not risk being out in the hall too long.

Without speaking, Zelina pushed the children to hide around a large pillar that was one of two that framed the door, jumping over to the other one while she had the chance. There, she crouched and waited, shoto lightsaber in hand, trying to resist the urge to reach out to the Force or make a break for the dojo.

Doubts were starting to slither through her mind, like they were trying to panic her into brash action.

_We're not going to make it, someone will sweep the room and discover the children, there's not a place for me to hide in the dojo, its so close to the communications room, what if its heavily guarded?_

That last thought gave her pause. It _was_ close to the communications room. What if she hid the children—

The trooper that had been coming up behind them entered the room, and Zelina activated her shoto long enough to impale the trooper through the neck before she dragged the body behind the pillar she'd been hiding next to, ushering the children to follow her again as she momentarily dipped back into the circular hall, guiding them two more sections over before reluctantly entering a turbo lift to bring them five floors up, praying there wouldn't be a soldier.

What if she hid the children in the dojo, then raced to the communications room to send out a warning? There was no point in a distress signal anymore, everyone in the Temple was…

Zelina stopped the thought before she could finish it and the weight of it could fully hit her. She'd staved her trauma off this long in the name of survival, it could last a little longer.

Zelina stared at the durasteel wall of the lift anxiously, praying that there wouldn't be anyone on the other side, that they could make it to the dojo without incident, that—

The door opened, and Zelina heard the familiar muffled voice of a trooper. "What—"

Sight told her he was too far away, so Zelina reluctantly tapped into the Force so she could pull the trooper towards her, stepping forwards out of the lift as she did so and turning so the children wouldn't see her impale the trooper. They'd been out of view for the one she'd just killed as well, since she couldn't have them screaming in horror and giving away their position any more than she couldn't afford to have a trooper make too much noise to draw attention to their position.

Though if that darksider was paying attention…they might have felt the brief flare in the Force as she used it to kill one of the 501st. Now she'd definitely have to make a break for the communications room, at least to lure the darksider away from the children if they had noticed her.

Zelina grabbed a small hand once more, barely restraining herself from dragging the five children down a hall that suddenly felt impossibly long, to the far end, the dojo right before the last, closest to the front without giving them the room with a window. She pulled the five inside the empty room, locking the door to prevent any troopers from getting inside just long enough for her to successfully hide the children.

Zelina put her hand on the scrawny Bren, giving him a gentle nudge towards the cabinet. "Hurry, hide in there—the rest of you, over here," she ordered in a quiet tone, unable to pinpoint why the Force was screaming at her to hurry since she dared not touch it at present lest she give herself away, but knowing she needed to hide the children _now_.

The boy opened the cabinet, his voice turning slightly shrill as he called her attention back to her. "It's full of training clothes!"

"Then take out all of them but the last four, use those as a cushion, give the rest to me, we'll let the others sit on them," Zelina said sharply, the boy immediately acting on her orders given her tone of voice and their dire situation. Zelina hurried over to gather up the clothes he all but threw on the ground, dashing back to the saber alcove and laying all the clothes down on the shelf with just enough room so no fabric would get in the way of the solid wood blind that could be raised to hide the weapons from view.

"Up you go," Zelina murmured, helping the children tuck themselves into the alcove. Zelina grabbed the lightwhip and an extra saber off of the displays to make it look like she'd chosen to come in here for more weapons in case she didn't make it out of the room, looking back over her shoulder to confirm Bren had closed himself into the cabinet.

She heard heavy footsteps approaching the dojo.

" _Not a sound_!" Zelina warned.

Slamming her hand down on the activation panel to lower the blind, Zelina pulled only her violet lightsaber into her hands and held the lightwhip in her other hand, moving back to the center of the room and facing the door, activating both and falling into a tense at the ready stance as she waited for the inevitable, heart pounding.

The blind made a soft click as it slid shut, and it took all of Zelina's willpower not to glance in the alcove's direction, as the door slid open at the exact same moment, allowing a single unhooded, lone figure to enter the room before it slid shut behind them.

Instantly Zelina deactivated her weapons, letting the lightwhip drop out of her hand and clatter to the floor as she let out a cry of wild relief at the second welcome surprise arrival. Without hesitation, Zelina threw herself into his arms, eyes instantly brimming with tears as her emotions momentarily knocked her off balance once again.

"Anakin!" Zelina cried out breathlessly, her arms wrapping around his broad-shouldered form, feeling her legs go weak as he returned the embrace.

Anakin's arms wrapped possessively around her. "I barely sensed your presence—I thought you might have been wounded. Are you all right?" he asked.

Something was off about his voice, but considering all the terrible things that had just happened, it wasn't hard to imagine why—it was _his_ men attacking the Temple, attacking Jedi, that he thought might have hurt her.

Zelina clutched him tighter. Somewhere in the back of her mind she'd been worrying that he might have been killed in all this chaos. To see him physically standing in front of her, _completely_ unhurt…

"No, I'm fine, I was just hiding my presence…" Zelina's grip loosened as she opened her senses to see if he really was hurt and just hid it well from her. "…because…"

Something sickening and poisonous settled in Zelina's gut as she touched the Force again. Her hands dropped to his shoulders, head leaning back from where she'd placed it on his shoulder. Evidence suddenly started to splay itself in front of her, but she refused to look, even as a partial truth slipped from her tongue, a switch from the full truth she'd been about to tell him.

"I sensed a…a dark sider," Zelina said, stumbling over the word as she cautiously pulled back from Anakin, arms still held loosely in an imitation of her embrace before dropping away entirely from his arms with the next step back.

Something was wrong.

 _He_ was wrong.

"Zelina?" he asked, though the way he said it made her think he already knew what she was sensing. He switched tracks, as if to ignore the matter altogether. "We need to get you out of here, okay? Come with me, I'll take you to Padme's, you'll be safe there," he said, holding out his hand expectantly.

_No, no, no, no, no, no, no…_

"No, no, no, no," Zelina murmured, her thoughts spilling past her lips as she tried to avoid the brutal realization, tried to deny it. " _Anakin_ …"

Anakin's jaw flexed, the hand dropping away, eyes hardening as he saw Zelina reaching the inevitable conclusion.

"Anakin…what did you…" Her breaths came in short bursts as she fought between truth and everything she knew. She didn't want to say it because saying it made it _real_ , made it unavoidable and inescapable, but it wouldn't be contained.

" _What have you done_?" she asked in the barest whisper.

Anakin straightened, a harsh glint in his eyes, the darkness in his expression a shadow of what she sensed oozing from his presence, envigored by the numerous fresh _kills_.

"What I had to," he said coolly.

"No," she breathed again, her tears turning to denial and agony before they could fall from her eyes, one hand coming to rest on her head as the image of the slaughtered children in the storage levels, the bodies lining the halls, the raw agony she'd been blindsided with from the massacre, the hooded figure _carving_ through the Jedi's last lines of defense, it all flashed in her eyes, voice bordering on hysteria as she processed what was being shown to her. "No, no, no…"

"Zelina," Anakin said, his voice an imitation of gentleness. She could hear the bubbling darkness beneath, and her hand shot out in a gesture for him to stop, taking a step back.

" _No_! No," she repeated firmly, jabbing her hands in an almost accusing gesture in his direction. "No, this isn't happening, this isn't…"

Her breath hitched, hands going to her knees as she doubled over, trying to catch the breath that eluded her even now.

"Tell me you didn't do this, tell me this wasn't you!" she begged in a bare whisper, squeezing her eyes shut. Anakin didn't give her any such reassurance, and Zelina didn't even bother to stop the sob from escaping her. " _Why_?"

"Don't you see?" Anakin said in a soothing voice that came out far creepier than reassuring. "The Jedi were a threat to the galaxy—you saw how corrupt they were, how quickly they turned on the best of their own. They sacrificed Ahsoka to a corrupt democracy that doesn't work, they were getting ready to do the same to you. They turned so quickly against their own ideals, then claimed it was for the greater good. You saw it, you _knew_ —there's a reason you lost faith in the Order. They were a plague upon the galaxy, and they needed to be stopped before they could destroy it. This way…this way we can have peace, we can fix things, make them the way they should be."

That didn't make _sense_ though, not coming from Anakin!

Her mind raced to figure out the real reason, or at least what had triggered this. If she had spent more time with him recently, would she have seen warning signs, could she have stopped this?

"Is this about Padme?" she asked in a rasp, straightening up to look at him again, her expression mixed between accusation and disbelief.

"In part," Anakin admitted flippantly. "If I become strong enough with the dark side, I can stop her from dying—you won't have to worry about healing her, neither of us will, because it won't matter whether or not we're strong enough to stop it, because it won't be a threat anymore. And I nearly am—Strong enough."

Zelina only felt wounded at the proclamation, body instinctively turning away before she forced herself to look at him. She almost couldn't. " _Anakin_ …"

"You could join me."

She paused, unable to believe what she was hearing. Was he really _suggesting_ …?

"Think about it, Zee," Anakin said in growing, sickening excitement. At least that's what it sounded like to her. "You're just like me, almost just as powerful. You said it yourself, you're not a Jedi—you could tell they were corrupt, you could tell that they were wrong all along. If we joined forces, we could overthrow the Chancellor and reshape the galaxy. No more corruption, no more lies, no more Jedi—"

"No," Zelina said in a sharp reflex, and Anakin pulled back just as abruptly, an expression she was familiar with when Anakin started to shut himself off falling across his face. "No, Anakin, I'm not—I won't turn to the dark side! All it does is destroy. And look what you've just done! This was—is, still— _genocide_!"

"Don't be rash, Zelina. You have so much potential, you could be so much more if you were to turn—I've seen and heard what you can do when you tap into that side of yourself. It will be you and me—we don't have to be enemies." Anakin attempted once more to sway her, but Zelina, shaken by everything that had happened and horrified by this strange and twisted version of her closest friend in front of her, refused yet again.

"I won't! I don't condone this—I could _never_ condone this. Anakin, there are _children_ lining these halls, children that were killed by a light—" Zelina cut herself off, a hand covering her mouth as she turned away, tears stinging her eyes. He'd killed _children_. He was about to become a father himself, and he'd killed _younglings_.

She was going to be sick.

"Zelina…if you come with me…we can fix this. You'll start to see things my way. Don't side with them, don't turn on me, stay with me."

" _Your_ way?" Zelina snapped incredulously, her head whipping around to look at him from the shock of what he'd said. "This is _wrong_ Anakin! You know it, and I won't be a part of it!"

Anakin's tone shifted from a distanced pleading to more of a threat, his tone making her flinch away from him inwardly even as her rebellious streak caused her to stand firm. "I don't want to hurt you, Zelina, but if you don't come with me, you'll give me no choice."

" _No_ , Anakin. I won't. This isn't right, and you _know_ _it_."

"What happened to supporting me no matter what?"

Again, a switch in tactics. He was playing off her guilt, their bond, her promises, and it wounded her that he would use her own words against her like this. "Not like this. I never thought you would do… _this_ ," Zelina cried out in despair. "Anakin—"

"Don't make me kill you."

The single threat stopped her short when she'd been about to step towards him. The division between them was so sudden and prominent, Zelina found herself suddenly, utterly alone in the galaxy.

"I will not turn," she said in a soft voice, accompanying her proclamation with a small shake of her head.

"…then you leave me no choice."

Anakin activated his lightsaber, the blue a solitary hum throughout the completely silent dojo. Zelina felt herself empty at the sight, at the sight of Anakin— _Anakin_ —holding a lightsaber with the intent to hurt…no, to _kill_ her. Suddenly, any other path disappeared, and Zelina found herself digging her heels in figuratively as an act of defiant refusal.

"I won't fight you," she said, her voice coming out with far more conviction than she would have thought her horrified soul capable of right now.

"Draw your lightsaber, Zelina," he warned her. A flicker of hope fluttered in her chest at his apparent refusal to kill her unarmed.

" _No, Anakin_."

" _I said draw it_!" he shouted, his voice the crack of the whip from her childhood. Zelina shook her head, the thought of fighting him, of drawing her lightsaber on him, hurting her far more than anything else that was flooding through her as she watched everything she'd ever fought for crumble around her.

"I could never…" Anakin snarled as Zelina refused yet again, and Zelina flinched at the sound. "Go ahead and kill me, if you really need to…but I would _never_ raise my blade against you, I would _never_ willingly hurt you…not even now," she said passionately, a tear escaping from her eyes.

"You will not fight, and you will not join me. Are you really willing to die for no reason other than _indecision_?" Anakin growled, flickers of yellow appearing in his eyes. "All that fighting you've done in your life, for what? For _what_?"

Anakin's growled words gouged at her heart, and yet she continued to refuse.

Not him. _Never_ him. She could never…it hurt her more than what he'd done to put her in this position.

Slowly, ignoring the shock that marred Anakin's features, Zelina got down on her knees, laying both of her lightsabers on the ground in front of her, as if offering them to Anakin. She pulled back, weaponless, laying her hands on her knees.

"I could never hurt you, Anakin…not you," she whispered. "Anyone but you. I _won't do it_ …but nor can I join you in something I know for a fact to be _wrong_."

Silence hung in the air between them, Zelina in tense anticipation to see what he would do now that she made it clear that she would not turn and she refused to harm him. His lightsaber continued to hum, still ignited and held at his side. She tried not to think of all the Jedi he'd killed tonight with that very lightsaber, of how it thrummed even now in threat of her life.

Slowly, Anakin walked up to her, and for a moment, she allowed herself to hope…To hope that he would pull her to her feet, that they would agree to talk, that she could get sense through his thick head, or at the very least they would come to a truce until they could figure out what to do with one another now that they found themselves on opposite sides but refused to hurt one another.

Anakin leveled his lightsaber at her throat, the blade completely steady.

A short, strangled gasp left her before Zelina clamped down on the sound, squeezing her eyes shut as the lightsaber began to burn her throat, trying desperately to hold back the sudden torrent of tears that slipped down her cheeks.

 _Anakin_ , her heart cried out. He might as well have already impaled her.

He was about to execute her, even as she sat defenseless on her knees, after everything they'd been through together, all the times she'd stood beside him…

"If you have any last words, say them now," Anakin said emotionlessly. At least he was allowing her that honor, instead of cutting her down as suddenly and brutally as everyone else in the Temple. At least he was giving her a sliver of respect before he betrayed and murdered her.

Well…he'd already betrayed her. This would just make it complete.

Her heart throbbed, lips parting subconsciously as she thought of all the things left unsaid between them, momentarily mute because of the shock of this very moment. How had they ended up here? Where did she go wrong?

Force, was she really going to die, by his hand? Of all the ways she saw her death going, this had not been one of them. And she'd always thought that perhaps, if she managed it, she could tell him…why she did everything she did. Why it was always him, why she always put him first, why she refused to hurt him, even in defense of her own life.

It all boiled down to one…simple truth.

" _I love you_."

She said those three powerful words softly, raising her tear-soaked, dust covered, blood marked face to Anakin's. The weight lifted from her soul, rolled from her lips, and finally laid itself bare between them. After years, she finally dropped the one guard she'd always held around him, finally let the elusive emotion she'd always hidden from him free to stand before him in all its truth, her soul completely exposed to him at long last…and exposed far, far too late. It didn't matter now, did it? She was about to die…but she'd never wanted to take this to her grave. She'd always wanted to tell him, had tried to tell him so many times. He had the right to know the truth before she died. She owed him that much.

The tears fell freely from her face as she met his gaze head on, refusing to look away even as his lightsaber trembled, her eyes silently demanding he see the truth of her admittance and refusing to free him from the confession, chaining him to the knowledge as she had been imprisoned for years in solitude. "I love you," she repeated. "I always have. I just want to say it, before you…I should have said it _long_ ago."

Trying in vain to blink away the tears, Zelina straightened, fixing her gaze forward so she wouldn't have to see the look on his face before he killed her. She didn't want to, she didn't think she could bear it being the last thing she saw.

"Go ahead, then. Get it over with. I'd much rather it was you…it's better than being shot in the back by men I fought with and defended," she said, trying for steely resolve. Her voice shook far too much for her to accomplish it, though, and her voice cracked on the _you_.

_Is it really better, though? Isn't this much worse?_

Anakin remained silent, and since she wouldn't look at him now as she prepared herself for the end, she couldn't see his face as the moments stretched to what seemed like the length of hours. Considering the emotionlessness he'd been exhibiting since he'd asked for her last words, she was afraid she would find no answers, that the last thing she'd see was his blank face staring at her before he finally swung his blade.

_This is really happening…This is happening. He's going to kill me._

Her stomach lurched, and Zelina closed her eyes as the Force screamed around her, not brave enough to keep her eyes open as the man she loved killed her.

She cried out as she felt the burn of his blade, noting the points of contact in some distant, primal part of her brain, her body turning or arching with every blow.

Cheek, left arm, gut, right leg.

Zelina crumpled to the floor, shocked despite her preparations as she felt a heavy hand on her forehead, and darkness swiftly enclosed her.

"I'll come back for you…I promise."


	16. Shell Shock

Getting into the Temple was the easy part of Yoda and Obi-Wan's return to Coruscant. Between Master Yoda and Obi-Wan himself, the few clones that were left guarding the Temple entrance in case any surviving Jedi arrived were easy to dispatch.

Entering the Temple, however…

A sorrow that Obi-Wan could not use any of his past experiences to adequately compare to or match overwhelmed him as he entered the halls of the Temple that had housed him his entire life. He'd grown up here, trained her, found a family here…and now bodies lay strewn across the floors, the number of Jedi that had been slaughtered far outweighing the number of clones from what he could see from the south wing of the Temple. The once grand halls were now cavernous and empty, scorched and even crumbling in some places where an intense fight had taken place. Up ahead, he spotted a Padawan and a group of younglings lying abandoned on the floor, spread about in such a way that made it appear they had been fleeing towards the back entrance of the Temple when they had been shot down from behind.

Obi-Wan's heart clenched painfully as he took in the tiny broken bodies at his feet.

"Not even the younglings survived…" he whispered, his voice carrying through the hall. Not for the first time since hearing about the attack on the Temple, Obi-Wan's mind immediately brought up images of Anakin and Zelina before he left for Utapau. Were they both all right? Had they managed to survive this nightmare and just hadn't been able to make contact? Or were they lying somewhere in these halls, abandoned, murdered, and unable to be retrieved even for a proper burial because of how little time Obi-Wan and Yoda had to carry out their mission. He could not scour the entire Temple for the two Tatooine natives he saw as siblings, as much as a part of him cried out for him to search, to find them, or to at least confirm that they weren't here, that they might have survived, that there was hope.

"Killed not by clones, this…Padawan," Yoda said painfully, nodding towards one of the younglings before them and drawing Obi-Wan away from his thoughts and back to the moment at hand. "By a lightsaber, he was."

A deep disturbance rippled through Obi-Wan at Yoda's words, as well as foreboding. Another Sith? The one they'd been looking for, perhaps? Maul was on Mandalore with Ahsoka—he hoped the youngling was all right—and Asajj and Dooku had both been killed. Had there even been time to replace Dooku after the Count's death?

Yes, yes there had, and Obi-Wan knew that there was a very real chance that there could be another Sith behind this attack. Still, the question remained…

"Who? Who could have done this?" Obi-Wan questioned aloud. Yoda had no answer for him, at least not one the old Jedi Master was willing to share. Not that it mattered—Obi-Wan didn't expect an answer, at least not from Yoda, and they didn't have much time to try and find an answer here in the Temple.

Perhaps if he checked the security feeds, after they sent out their warning to the Jedi to stay away, if they had the time to do so.

With more effort than Obi-Wan cared to admit, he pushed himself to his feet once more, walking in pace with Master Yoda as they made their way to a turbolift that would take them up to the floor that housed the training dojos and the communications control room. The ride up was as silent as the rest of the temple save for the hum of the lift, both Jedi Masters doing their best to ignore the scorch marks on the wall of the lift. They had a job to do, and they needed to do it quickly and get out before someone realized what had happened and more 501st came.

When they reached their floor, the two masters stepped out into the hall cautiously in case there were any clones patrolling the halls inside, Yoda's gimmer stick making sharp clicks against the floor as they made their way to the door of the Communications room.

"Master Yoda? Master Kenobi?"

The small voice echoed timidly towards the pair of Jedi Masters, and Obi-Wan spun sharply around at the sound. Yoda's turn, while also quick, was not so sudden and bordering on violent, considering Obi-Wan was tense and braced for an ambush of some sort.

Near the far end of the hall, a scrawny boy was barely stepping out of one of the training rooms, the youngling growing in bravery and headed their way when their identities became clear.

_A…a youngling? Still alive, in the midst of all this?_

The boy broke into a jog towards the two older Jedi when they didn't start to attack him or draw lightsabers, the two instinctively making their way towards the child to meet him halfway.

"Little one, how did you—" Obi-Wan started to ask when the boy reached them and he could clearly see that the youngling was entirely unharmed. However, he only latched onto Obi-Wan's sleeve and started to pull.

"I think we need help," the boy said, caught between a plea and unsureness.

" _We_?" Obi-Wan asked in further surprise.

Yoda was already overtaking the two, gimmer stick tapping along the floor as he started down the hall. "Show us, will you, Young One?"

The boy nodded, letting go of Obi-Wan's sleeve. "Yes, Master Yoda," he said quietly, already hurrying ahead back the way he'd come. The two Jedi followed the boy, Obi-Wan hastier in his movements than the Grandmaster, whether because of his youth or his longer stride, that much was debatable.

The boy stopped outside the dojo that was second to last in the hall, opening the door for the three of them before momentarily darting out of their view and back into the room he's possibly been hiding in this entire time.

"It's Master Yoda and Master Kenobi," he heard the boy exclaim, and to Obi-Wan's shock, he felt four new presences register in the Force inside of the room.

Muffled voices of relief floated towards Obi-Wan as he finally stepped into the room, unsure what he would find.

It was like the boy had personally led Obi-Wan into one of his nightmares.

Yes, it was good news to see five Padawans within the dojo, four of them crawling down from the saber alcove that the youngest was lowering the blind of. Any survivors, especially ones so young, were a welcome sight.

Any joy that came from seeing the surviving children was cut brutally short by the figure who lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, one that he had not been able to detect until he saw them with his own eyes.

"Zelina!" he exclaimed, horror filling him as his mind immediately reached for the first and most likely scenario.

Dead. Cut down in a last act of defense protecting these five children.

Obi-Wan found himself kneeling beside the twenty-year-old young woman, instinctively lifting her up into his arms. Her head lolled back, unresponsive as the children and Yoda gathered around.

"I-I've been trying to wake her. Masters, is she…?" the boy asked in a shaking tone.

Obi-Wan's hands and eyes were seeking out her injuries, noting the dust and small cuts that covered her, one of them deep enough to count as a gash running across her forehead. It was the lightsaber marks that drew his attention, however, fingers brushing against the slash on her cheek, the torn fabric of her arm, also sliced into by a lightsaber…

His hands dropped to her abdomen, noting that the slash, while running from hip to her lower chest…was shallow, more of a burn than a cut, though it looked deceivingly like a finishing strike. There was another burn from a blade on her leg, but he was distracted by the one on her abdomen, and what it implied.

"Dead, she is not. With us, she still is. Only in a deep trance, put under by someone powerful in the Force," Yoda explained, gimmer stick rapping against the floor as he came around to stand across from Obi-Wan on the other side of Yoda. "Hidden, she was, from detection of other Force Users, in the process."

Obi-Wan hadn't even sensed her right down the hall, something Obi-Wan should have found as easy as breathing…But who had put her under? She hadn't done this to herself…Had it been Anakin? Had they perhaps been cornered, and he'd put her under to save her life, to make her appear dead to anyone else?

He could see Anakin doing such a thing, after trying to get them both out in vain. The lightsaber burns he wasn't so sure—though perhaps with some persuasion from Zelina and reassurance, plus the dire situation, he would have done it to make it look convincing.

And yet…for some reason, as much sense as that explanation made to him…there was no sign of Anakin, and the theory did not settle easily into his mind. Furthermore, it would have made sense to either hide her lightsabers, or maybe place them so it looked like they'd fallen with her. Instead, the lightsabers were placed neatly just in front of her unmoving form, like they had been offered to someone.

What happened here?

"Can you wake her, Master Yoda?" a togruta girl asked, looking at the woman in Obi-Wan's arms with concern.

"Perhaps," Yoda said simply, placing one of his hands on her forehead. "Assist will you, Obi-Wan? Your connection with her—help it will."

Obi-Wan nodded, gently placing a hand atop Zelina's head, smoothing down her hair on a whim before he closed his eyes with Yoda and they reached out for the young woman's latent presence. Considering how well-concealed her presence had been, Obi-Wan didn't hesitate to use their bond to get a good grip on her before Yoda and he pulled her back towards consciousness.

Zelina's presence blossomed before them, as strong as ever and even peaceful in her current unconscious state. However, as the young woman became more aware, that peace was quickly replaced with a storm of tumultuous feelings as recollection rushed to the front of her awakening mind.

Yoda withdrew his hand, and Obi-Wan braced himself for Zelina's rude awakening as her emotions reached a fever pitch.

Zelina's eyelids fluttered and opened, squinting against the sudden light as disorientation briefly overcame her.

"Easy…" Obi-Wan murmured.

It took a moment for Zelina to fully come to, and when she did, her presence flared to life with alarm. Her eyes flew open as she tried to sit up with a sudden spurt of adrenaline, a gasp breaking past her control. Her attempt to get up failed miserably as her burned skin stretched, and a pained cry burst from her as she collapsed back into Obi-Wan's grasp.

"Don't strain yourself, young one," Obi-Wan chided. "You're among friends, now."

"Obi-Wan…" Zelina murmured as her gaze focused on the man before her. Her gaze finally cleared as she finally registered her surroundings, and that she really _was_ safe. Yet, as any confusion finally left her, something in Obi-Wan's words pained her enough to tears, her head turning away and eyes squeezing shut before she could cry.

Her cheek brushed against the fabric of her shoulder, causing her to hiss as her attention shifted to her injuries, a hand reaching instinctively towards first the one on her cheek. Under her touch, a soft, nigh-transparent blue glow washed over the wound before it began to slowly heal itself.

Her recent healing lessons had been going well, then. And now they were paying off.

A thin scar was left behind on Zelina's cheek when she finished healing the injury, and there was no hesitation before she moved onto the next without a word.

"Zelina, what happened here?" Obi-Wan asked.

A wave of raw pain washed over him from their bond, and Obi-Wan had to promptly withdraw from the intensity of the emotion. It was too much off of the pain he already felt over this…disaster.

"The 501st came in the night. With our best spread across the galaxy…we didn't stand a chance. We mounted the best defense we could, got out as many of the younglings as possible…"

She didn't say anything more, so Obi-Wan pressed for more. "We? Was Anakin here, too?"

Zelina wasn't looking at him, her face shielded from Obi-Wan as her head was turned and hair formed a thin veil across her face. "There—he…" she stumbled over her words, voice hardly decipherable. Obi-Wan's heart clenched. Had Anakin been killed in the fighting?

"I wasn't at the Temple at first, I came cause I was uneasy, and I could sense something had upset him. But when I arrived he'd already left. I-I don't know what happened to him—"

She cut off there, voice choked and pained as she fell into silence.

_Then perhaps Anakin hadn't been at the Temple…perhaps he'd lived._

_But what of the darksider? The one who had killed the younglings?_

As much as Obi-Wan wanted to press her for more answers, he could sense the storm inside of the young woman and did not wish to push her too far. Her trauma ran deep, and considering the state of the halls, if she had been in the middle of it…then it made sense why her emotional wounds would be so severe.

"Still make it to the beacon room, we must. Warn the survivors away, and make our escape, before discovered, we are," Yoda gently reminded them.

Obi-Wan nodded, watching as Zelina skipped the wound on her abdomen long enough to focus on her leg. "Will you be able to stand?"

"Yes—I'll be able to walk after this, of course," Zelina murmured.

They waited long enough to heal the wound on her leg before Obi-Wan helped her to her feet, draping one of her arms over his shoulders. The younglings crowded around the young woman as her free hand drifted over her abdomen, the togruta girl placing her hands on the woman's free arm as if to help support her. The child was small enough it was an ultimately fruitless gesture, but still touching to witness. Meanwhile, the tiny twi'lek child had retrieved Zelina's lightsabers, hooking them onto Zelina's belt for her as they collectively started to move.

The small group of Jedi made their way to the communications center, slowly at first, for Zelina's sake, though they were able to speed up to a normal pace at her urging, when she was partially done with healing her remaining wound. When they reached the beacon room, Zelina sent the children into one of the smaller debriefing rooms to wait, sitting down on the small wall ledge by the security feed station. Still she said nothing more than was absolutely necessary, staring down at the floor with a haunted look that made Obi-Wan shudder before he turned his attention to the task at hand.

He _needed_ to know what happened here, specifically to Zelina.

It took some work, but eventually Obi-Wan was able to turn his attention back to Master Yoda and Zelina, though the later wasn't paying much attention to what was going on around her. She remained trapped in her silent waking nightmare. "I have recalibrated the code warning all surviving Jedi to stay away."

Yoda glanced at the youngest among them in what seemed more like pity than concern. Did Master Yoda already know what had happened to her, or at least suspect something? "For the clones, to discover the recalibration, a long time, it will take."

As Obi-Wan activated the warning and made his way back to the other two, Yoda started for the exit, Zelina not yet making a move to leave.

Good—Obi-Wan wasn't quite ready to leave yet.

"Wait, Master," Obi-Wan told Yoda, who stopped with a quiet sigh Obi-Wan almost didn't catch. "There is something I must know…"

As Obi-Wan passed Zelina and headed for the security station, he felt the woman's pain intensify. She wasn't entirely detached from the world around her, and It seemed she could already guess what it was Obi-Wan was about to look for. She rested her head in her hand, eyes tightly closed as she turned away from the video feed, before Obi-Wan even had the chance to activate it.

"If into the security recordings you go, only pain will you find," Yoda warned him.

"Then it is pain that I have earned. I won't hide from it. I must know the truth, Master," Obi-Wan countered, pulling up the small holo display and sifting through the recordings. He paused just short of discovering the attack, momentarily hesitating. What did he want to see first? Did he want to see the 501st marching on the Temple as Zelina claimed? No, he didn't need to see that—he already knew about that. There was no reason to see more death and tragedy than necessary.

He could track Zelina—find out what happened to her rather than subject her to a nigh interrogation that only served to force foul memories. She said they'd mounted a defense, so that was where he would start.

It took some searching, but he managed to catch the sight of a Jedi line of defense. There was even a glimpse of Zelina bursting out of the lines to send soldiers flying in a powerful Force wave. She was quick to fall back behind the lines, and even disappeared from the lines altogether after a grenade momentarily shattered their defenses and a brief exchange with Master Drallig. Obi-Wan didn't follow her progress, however—it seemed she'd moved between the front lines and the escape attempts. If this was the front lines, then he should get a good view of the darksider who'd led the charge…

After a shift of view when the lines fell back, and a skip forward in time, the Force Sensitive spearhead appeared in the feed. They was caped and there was no clear view to get a look at their face, but Obi-Wan watched as they cut down Cin Drallig, and the rest of the at that point sparse defenses crumpled, mercilessly carved up like livestock by the darksider. The remaining Jedi tried to scatter, but they were quickly destroyed.

Another Force wave burst from Zelina to send more men flying through the air as she bolted _into_ the Temple instead of out of the hole in the back to freedom—going to protect the younglings that were alive and waiting in the other room, perhaps?

Blaster fire started to follow her retreat, but the darksider had whipped around at the display of power, throwing out an arm to _stop_ the clones, to call them off Zelina…

The darksider's hood fell back to reveal a face in the process.

And instantly— _instantly_ —he understood Zelina's agony, wishing he could rip his offending eyes from himself in an effort to distance himself from the truth before him, wished he could return to the innocence of believing Anakin dead while protecting Zelina or escaped somewhere on Coruscant. But no, this was not something he could forget, and a scream reverberated through his entire being, trapped inside and unable to escape.

Part of him wanted to turn on the young woman sitting paces from him, to yell at her in denial, to demand answers, to ask why she had withheld such a vital piece, why she'd let him cling to hope—no, why she'd built up his hopes only to have them smashed so brutally before his eyes. He wanted to know how she could keep such a thing from him—she had to know it had been Anakin who stormed the temple.

And yet…he understood. He understood that not only would she be unable to answer him, but that she could not have brought herself to put Obi-Wan through the same pain that she had experienced. She would rather let him have his hope as long as possible before being robbed of it.

Obi-Wan remained frozen in his silent horror long enough for Anakin to exit the room, the clones to do a sweep of the room for any survivors, and Anakin to return, greeted by the robed figure of a severely disfigured Palpatine.

"You have done well, my new apprentice," the no longer hidden Sith Lord croaked to a kneeling Anakin. "Now, Lord Vader, go and bring _peace_ to the Empire."

Blindly, Obi-Wan fumbled for the controls to shut off the recording, managing to do so before he moved to lean on the console. He discovered the hard way that he had not the strength to even hold himself up, as his arms buckled and sent him to the floor, huddled against the console. Now he knew a shadow of Zelina's pain, for while Obi-Wan loved Anakin as a brother, he knew the girl loved him in layers—as a friend, as a second half, as the man she loved…

Yoda remained unsympathetic, gazing stoically at the two distraught Jedi—Obi-Wan could not see Zelina, but he could still feel a shadow of her pain through the bond he was trying to distance himself from in an effort to spare himself more pain. "Warned, you were."

Obi-Wan said, "I should have let them _shoot_ me..."

"What?"

Obi-Wan didn't even hear Yoda's sharp exclamation—he continued to ramble, feeling similar sentiments resonate through Zelina at his words. "No. That was already too late—it was already too late at Geonosis. The Zabrak, on Naboo—I should have died _there_...before I ever _brought_ him here—"

" _Stop_ this, you will!" Yoda snapped, his gimmer stick snapping against the floor as he made his way towards Obi-Wan and jabbed him sharply in the ribs with the cane to force him to sit up. " _Make_ a Jedi fall, one cannot; beyond even Lord Sidious, this is. _Chose_ this, Skywalker did."

Obi-Wan lowered his head. "And I'm afraid I might know why," he whispered softly.

The conversations with Zelina flashed through his mind, her concern about what the Jedi had been doing to Anakin recently, his stress, his fears, her mentions of studying healing vigorously, which he just _knew_ had not been by some faint prompting in the Force warning her of this horrid event. No, it boiled down to the many errors and fumbles made by the Council regarding Anakin, the betrayal he felt time and time again…and Padme Amidala.

"Why? _Why_ matters not. There is no _why_. There is only a Lord of the Sith, and his apprentice. Two Sith." Yoda leaned close. "And two Jedi."

_Two Jedi? But Zelina…_

No…no, Zelina had changed long ago. Zelina was not a Jedi in the sense the Order considered, but she wasn't a Sith or an agent of darkness. She'd morphed into something else when Ahsoka was banished from the Order, Obi-Wan had felt it that day, felt the break, the snap and shift as she became…balanced. Not in the sense of inner peace, but of being between light and dark. She did have aspects that could be considered of the dark side, or at least as extremely un-Jedi like, but she had never been an agent of evil—she was light, Obi-Wan had always seen that in her. She was good and true and loyal, flaws and all.

It seemed Yoda was aware that Zelina did not fit in this realm of description anymore as well.

Obi-Wan nodded slowly, the numbness still keeping it's unwavering grip firmly upon him. He could not even meet the gaze of the ancient Master standing directly in front of him. "I'll take Palpatine."

"Strong enough to face Lord Sidious, you will never be. Die you will, and painfully," Yoda stated rather bluntly.

"Don't make me kill Anakin," Obi-Wan returned, sharper than he'd meant to. "He's like my _brother_ , Master."

"The boy you trained, gone he is—twisted by the dark side. Consumed by Darth Vader. Out of this misery, you must put him. To visit our new Emperor, my job will be."

"No."

Both Jedi turned at the return of the feminine voice of their group, especially considering the sudden vehement strength with which the woman spoke. Both Jedi Masters had to move in order to see her around the console, surprised to see her rising to her feet.

She didn't let the brief silence created by her abrupt opinion linger long. "All due respect, Master Yoda, but you're wrong. _No_ , he's not gone."

Yoda sighed—a pitiful sound, one that dismissed Zelina's strongly voiced statement that Obi-Wan frankly wanted to hear more of. "Know that attached you are, Du'ahn, to Skywalker, but—"

"He didn't kill me," Zelina interrupted bluntly. "He had the chance to, and frankly, if he was Sith, he should have, considering the threat I pose. But he _didn't_. He _protected_ me, he _hid me_ from the-the—from that wrinkled husk. Anakin's still in there, and he can be reached."

"Return from the dark side, one does not—especially not one so deeply immersed in the dark side," Yoda returned stoically.

"Ventress did—not entirely but she turned from the Sith. Quinlan Vos did. And I've been studying Satele Shan, who was a descendent of Revan, who was a _powerful_ Sith Lord who turned from the darkness and became a champion of the light. It _does_ happen, Master Yoda, the Order simply doesn't _talk about it_ ," Zelina argued, her words becoming impassioned, her emotions reaching a fever pitch that made Obi-Wan dizzy.

"Not them, Vader is. Too tangled in the dark—lost he is. Accept this, you must, or destroyed, you too shall be. Cloud your thoughts even now, your emotions do, bring you dangerously close to the dark side, they do. Occur to you that perhaps wish for you to join him, he does? That spare you, he did, to make you think he could be redeemed, to lure you in, make you fall as well?" Yoda said sharply. "Renowned for your control, you have been, Du'ahn. Do not lose that now, when need it most you do."

Instantly, Zelina shut herself off, her eyes cold and distant as she stood completely straight, turning from Yoda in a stiff movement, silence wrapping around her once again. Obi-Wan's gaze lingered on her, wanting to get inside her head to see what was going on up there even as he gently tested her in the Force, finding her shields slammed as high and strong as possible, shrouding any more of her intents and opinions in mystery. Yoda slowly drew Obi-Wan's attention back to him.

"Find Vader, you must, and face him _alone_ ," Yoda stressed, gaze flickering pointedly at the suddenly silent woman in their presence. Yoda didn't want Zelina interfering by acting on her emotions rather than reason.

Obi-Wan seemed to answer without entirely believing the words he spoke. It was a last-ditch effort to wiggle free of the task Yoda was trying to place upon him, especially now that he had heard Zelina's adamant defense. "I do not know where the Emperor has sent him. I don't know where to look!"

Yoda gave him a knowing, chastising look. "Use your feelings, Obi-Wan, and find him you will." Yoda turned away from them both, his gimmer stick tapping against the stone floor as he made his way to the exit, signaling the discussion as over. "Now, a duty we have to do. Leave this place, we must. Get the younglings to safety, we must. Stop the Sith, _we must_."

* * *

Before they left, Zelina stopped Padme and Obi-Wan briefly, exclaiming to them she felt there was something she needed to do before leaving the Temple behind. She'd departed for the other side of the Temple then, promising to meet them outside the Temple when she was done. Obi-Wan kept tabs on her presence anxiously the entire time, afraid that some remaining clones would discover her and take Obi-Wan's last remaining friend from him.

_No…no, that's not true. Some yet live. But she is one of the closest, and a little sister to me, as Anakin is…was…as I consider Anakin Skywalker a brother._

Just when Obi-Wan and Yoda began to grow wary with the time Zelina was taking, she returned, a small pack slung over her shoulders. Yoda had moved to chastise the girl about materialism, but she had cut him off swiftly, revealing its contents to be the holocrons and other materials she had been studying, which meant in her sack was information on healing, a fragment of the history of the Old Republic, lightsaber forms, and complex Force Abilities.

The two Jedi could not argue the preservation of knowledge, however slight, especially when she had apparently been following a whim of the Force.

Since the session of congress had been called to a close, Yoda sent word to Bail for his assistance, and the small group of Jedi found themselves returning—temporarily—to the _Tantive IV_. When they arrived on the ship, the Senator was clearly surprised to see that their group had expanded not by one, but by _six_.

Zelina, however, was met with a different kind of surprise, and the relief that resonated from the girl was a welcome balm for Obi-Wan's soul.

" _Satine_!" Zelina breathed in relief, and the two blondes swiftly embraced, clinging to each other for mutual support.

"I was told you might still be alive, but we hadn't heard anything from you and were getting worried. It's a relief to see you with my own eyes," Satine told Zelina so softly Obi-Wan almost didn't here.

We…did she perhaps mean Senator Amidala? Had Padme said something to Satine about believing Zelina to be alive? Had Anakin told her that Zelina was spared from the attack?

Bail was ushering the younglings to a safe, temporary place as the two women momentarily pulled apart, hands still on each other's arms as a form of stability.

"Are you all right?" Satine asked sincerely. Zelina started to nod, but the effort quickly dissolved, and she rapidly shook her head, unable to voice what she felt in a remotely strong voice, and the two women embraced once again. Over her shoulder, Satine's gaze met Obi-Wan's.

While the Duchess—ex-Duchess, with the end of the war now officially declared—also calmed Obi-Wan's troubled soul in a way that was entirely unique to her, he was unsettled to see the knowing light in her eyes as she looked at Obi-Wan. Whatever the Duchess saw in Obi-Wan's face, coupled with her brief interaction with Zelina, seemed to be enough to tell Satine everything she needed to know about the situation they were currently faced with.


	17. Alliance

If there was one constant in the galaxy, it was where to go if you wanted to find Anakin Skywalker. Zelina and Obi-Wan were two sources of information, though considering neither of them knew where he went, that only left one person to go to.

Padme.

Despite Yoda's not-so-subtle insistence that Obi-Wan look for and confront Anakin alone, Zelina had refused to be left behind as Obi-Wan sought out Anakin. At the very least, she demanded to be allowed to go see Padme, her concern for the woman stemming well beyond Anakin's recent fall and Obi-Wan's assigned hunt.

Always the good Jedi, Obi-Wan was resistant, wanting to follow orders and not wanting to provide a way for Zelina to follow and potentially stop him if Padme did reveal Anakin's location. Zelina, however, was a weak spot for Obi-Wan, and a negotiator in her own right, not to mention steadfast and unwavering in her determination, which seemed to only grow in strength the longer she had to think over everything that had happened.

Obi-Wan wasn't entirely sure what was going on in her head, but whatever she was telling herself, it was riling her to action in _defense_ of Anakin at the same time it seemed to torment her more and more the longer she dwelled on those thoughts. That singular purpose had become focused on being allowed to see Padme and, knowing that the younger Jedi would do everything in her power to go see the Senator no matter what he did, and getting the inkling that perhaps it could end up proving fruitful for his job, Obi-Wan had relented.

So it was that when Obi-Wan went to question Padme, he did not go alone. In fact, Zelina was the first one inside, the Senator on the brink of tears when she saw Zelina approaching her.

The two embraced, much as Satine and Zelina had embraced aboard the _Tantive IV_ , though with more tears, and Padme whispering something to Zelina that made the young Jedi tremble with a fresh batch of barely repressed sobs. Zelina murmured something in response, but by then Obi-Wan had approached, and the two's brief conversation was instantly hushed.

_Already keeping secrets, then…_

Obi-Wan allowed Padme a brief hug before he officially shattered her world. Ironically, he found himself trying to extend Padme the same curtesy he'd momentarily been scandalized Zelina had tried to extend to him back at the Temple's security room. "Padme…we need to talk," Obi-Wan said seriously, not missing how the two women had not yet let go of one another, and seemed reluctant to do so even now.

"Considering everything that's happened, I'm guessing this is about Anakin?" Padme asked, her regal, politician's voice already starting to come out even though Obi-Wan had hardly breached the topic. Not a good sign. These two weren't going to make this any easier on him, were they?

Obi-Wan nodded grimly. "When was the last time you saw him?"

"Yesterday," Padme said promptly, straightening.

"And do you know where he is now?"

"No."

The response was just as prompt, like a reflex, delivered with that same cool, unwavering politician mask. Obi-Wan saw Zelina's gaze slide slightly towards Padme, but she said nothing about the woman's blunt evasiveness. Zelina had made her stance on all of this quite clear back at the Temple.

"Padme, I need your help," Obi-Wan said patiently. He saw a flicker of hope spark in Zelina's eyes, and he hated to have to douse it so quickly. "He is in grave danger."

"From the Sith?" Padme asked, almost in a scoff, though there were serious notes of concern in her voice. She was close enough with Anakin, surely she'd realized something was wrong?

Obi-Wan hesitated to answer, his desire to spare her the truth as long as possible causing his words to linger on his lips before he could finally say them. "…From himself."

A heavy silence fell over the room at his proclamation, and Zelina's grip on Padme's arm became firm, protective. "You should probably sit," she murmured to the Senator, who looked at Zelina with a flash of fright at the dark turn the conversation was taking.

Obi-Wan waited patiently for Zelina to lead Padme to the couch before he spoke again, halting between words as he struggled to say the truth he had yet to fully accept himself, one that he and Zelina were both still struggling with. "Padme…Anakin has turned…to the dark side."

Anger quickly fell across Padme's features, though Zelina's firm grip kept the woman from springing to her feet as she threw her words accusingly at Obi-Wan. "You're wrong—how could you even _say_ that?"

"It's true, Padme," Zelina said softly, instantly drawing the other woman's attention.

"Zelina…" she said quietly, but Zelina only shook her head and continued to speak.

"I don't know what happened, but sometime between when I left for the Temple and the attack, Anakin fell to the dark side. I was there, Padme—he spearheaded the attack."

Padme had paled considerably at Zelina's soft spoken words, reaching up to gently tap at the thin white scar on Zelina's cheek. "You didn't have that yesterday."

Zelina grimaced. "I…I got that from Anakin," she whispered. Padme recoiled as if Zelina had struck her. Obi-Wan didn't interfere, curious to see where Zelina was going with this, and to hear more information of what exactly had happened.

"No, Anakin wouldn't do that, he—" Padme started to protest, but Zelina caught the woman's hand and interrupted before she could rant for too long.

"It was one of a few injuries he gave me, though he did it in the process of making it look like I'd died so the 501st would pass over me and I'd survive," Zelina added, and Padme relaxed marginally.

"Then how could he possibly have turned to the dark side?" Padme challenged. Zelina, however, was already shaking her head.

"Make no mistake, he _has_ turned. I saw it up close, Padme. He tried to convince me to turn as well. He was talking about…about the Jedi being corrupt and needing to be destroyed, reshaping and fixing the galaxy, overthrowing the Chanc—Emperor. He was excusing genocide so flippantly…" Zelina shook her head, as if trying to get rid of the nightmares. "He was steeped in the dark side."

"He killed…he killed _younglings_ , Padme," Obi-Wan added softly, aware that Zelina was, despite everything, pulling her punches. Zelina still believed Anakin could be saved, so she was holding back in her explanation of the severity of what Anakin had done—what he'd become. "I saw the bodies—he was the only one who attacked with a lightsaber."

"It's a lie!" Padme nearly shouted, rising sharply from her seat, even if it was only for a moment. Her face was picturesque horror as she glanced between Obi-Wan and Zelina, as if hoping one of them would pull her from the nightmare they had been unable to wake from themselves. "He could _never_...he could never...not my Anakin..."

Padme's gaze turned to Zelina, looking for some sliver of hope to hold to. Obi-Wan was supplying her with none, and as much as he wanted to believe Zelina's theory, he had to face the facts. Unfortunately, while he did not believe that Anakin could be saved, Zelina still clung to hope for a reason that escaped him even now.

Was it the love she had for him? Was that really enough to attempt to turn a blind eye on all of this? Or was there something more that Obi-Wan just didn't know about?

"It's true," Zelina confirmed quietly, and the woman collapsed back to the couch in shock. Zelina quickly covered Padme's hand with her own, giving it a gentle squeeze. "But I don't think it's too late. I think he can still be reasoned with—"

"Reasoned with?" Obi-Wan asked incredulously. "Zelina, he just committed genocide, he killed children, he attacked you! Did he listen to reason in the temple? Or before then? He's gone too far, and you know it. He's dangerous, to himself and everyone around him. There's nothing we can do—he's chosen his path, and we all know how stubborn Anakin can be. There is no reasoning with him, not now."

Some of the words pained him to admit it, but he couldn't get the bodies out of his head, the horror that his closest friend and brother had a crucial part in.

Zelina finally looked at Obi-Wan again, a fire in her eyes. "I will not abandon him," she said fiercely.

The two Jedi stared at each other in tense silence for several long moments.

_Zelina…I wish I had your faith, and your determination…but this time, you're wrong. It's too late. And your devotion is going to get you killed if you're not careful._

Taking a deep breath, Obi-Wan turned his attention back to Padme. "Padme…I _must_ find him."

Padme glanced between the two Jedi, a fresh wave of horror falling over her face. "You're going to kill him, aren't you?" she asked in a frightened, accusing tone. No…no, it wasn't a question. She already knew.

It was like she was seeing if Obi-Wan could even bring himself to say it.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath, preparing himself to say yes, yes he was going to kill…

_Don't make me kill Anakin. He's like my brother._

No…he couldn't even say it.

"He has become a very great threat," Obi-Wan eventually managed to say. Even then, it was clear in his voice that he was trying to convince himself just as much as he was trying to convince these two women that Anakin was a threat that needed to be dealt with. He was failing just as miserably at both, too.

Padme shook her head, eyes casting downwards towards her abdomen, a flicker of a hand motion towards the rounding section of her body barely restrained by Zelina, but enough of a movement to catch Obi-Wan's gaze.

"I can't…" Padme whispered, but Obi-Wan wasn't entirely paying attention, even as he rose from his seat. He was doing a quick once-over of the Senator in the Force, a once over that quickly revealed the truth to him, and made his task so much more difficult.

"Anakin is the father, isn't he?" he asked softly. Padme wouldn't look at him, and when he shot an accusing look at Zelina for not telling him, the other woman looked completely unapologetic. She was one to be a stalwart keeper of secrets if she believed it wasn't for her to tell, so should he really be surprised. Obi-Wan rose to his feet, trying to ignore the pain in his chest as he desperately fought not to think of how now, killing Anakin would also mean leaving Anakin's child fatherless. "I'm so sorry…"

Obi-Wan started to leave, wanting to end the conversation now before it could grow any more painful or complicate his already difficult situation any further. However, he paused when he realized he didn't have a tail this time. Turning, he saw Zelina still sitting on the couch with Padme, hand still clasped with the Senator's to give her a sense of comfort and stability.

"Zelina," Obi-Wan called. The girl was intent on saving Anakin…surely she'd want to continue the search with him?

…unless she was going to do something rash, as he'd been suspecting in the back of his mind ever since she insisted coming to see Padme with him.

Zelina glanced up at him. "Go on…I'm going to stay with Padme for now." When Obi-Wan moved to protest, Zelina spoke again. "Yoda doesn't want me interfering in your investigation, right? I'm letting you off the hook—go."

_She's definitely up to something._

* * *

Zelina watched Obi-Wan leave, hyper aware of the fact that he did so with no shortage of suspicion. Still, she held her tongue until she other Jedi's ship was disappearing on the horizon.

"We have to find him, Padme," Zelina said in a sharp tone, squeezing the woman's hand yet again. "He can still be reasoned with. It won't be easy, but if we find him first, we might stand a chance."

"Has…has he really gone to the dark side? I could tell something was strange about him when he came to the apartment not long after the attack on the Temple, but I would have never guessed…" Padme trailed off.

Zelina nodded. "I would have never believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself. Although…"

Zelina looked away, the guilt that had been plaguing her ever since she'd woken up continuing to grow in strength. This was her fault…the blame rested squarely on her shoulders. How long had she been warned about this very moment, and yet she still failed to save her friend from himself.

"Zelina? What is it?" Padme asked. When Zelina didn't answer, the woman shook her, though only enough to catch the younger woman's attention. "Zelina, this is not the time to be keeping secrets—tell me."

Zelina let out a shaky sigh. "It's not like it didn't happen without any warning. There were plenty of signs, going all the way back to before the war. We just chose not to look…or at least chose not to do _more_."

"You're not blaming yourself for all this, are you?" Padme asked in exasperation.

"Well, there is a lot you don't know that would put quite a bit of the blame on me, Zelina murmured, unable to look her in the eyes.

"This isn't your fault, Zelina—"

"I knew this was going to happen."

"…what do you mean?"

"I mean I…" Zelina sighed, rubbing her hands over her face in agitation, stuck between wanting to scream or cry. She'd been fighting the urge to sit in a corner and just check out for a while ever since she'd woken up—part of her wished Anakin had killed her back in the Temple. It would have made things so much simpler for her if he had. She wouldn't have to go through all… _this_. "I've been warned about Anakin's darkness for years, Padme. Not just from other people, I mean from the Force itself. I received…so many visions, blatant pleas to help Anakin with his darkness, to do something about this web that we just found ourselves tangled in the middle of. Years of clear warnings, Padme. My very first clear vision was before this war and it blatantly told me Anakin was going to fall to the dark side trying to protect you and…"

Zelina choked off, burying her face in her hands as a fresh sob made it past her apparently renowned control.

She felt hands gently grab at her wrists, pulling her hands away from her fist as Padme attempted to reclaim her attention.

"Hindsight is a curse, Zelina. If you spend all your time thinking about what could have been and looking at situations with knowledge you didn't have then as if you should have immediately jumped to the solution, all you'll do is drive yourself insane," Padme said gently. "You can't blame yourself—you did the best with what you knew at the time, and you're still trying your best now, I assume?"

Zelina nodded, hanging her head in a brief moment of chastised shame. She still shouldered the blame, Luke's many pleas to stop Anakin from giving into his darkness echoing in her mind. Now…now she understood. Now, looking back, she realized the young man had been pleading with her to stop his father's fall…to stop Anakin from destroying everything he cared about while trying to protect it. Anakin's soul wasn't the only thing at risk right now—so was Luke's future, his fate.

 _It's so cold…don't let it take me,_ please _!_ Don't let me die _!_

A shudder went through Zelina as she prayed to any deity listening that wasn't the path she was currently on.

"You said he can still be reasoned with?" Padme prompted, nudging Zelina back on track to the conversation that the two of them had started to have before Zelina's mounting guilt derailed them. Zelina shook herself so she could focus. Now still was not the time to wallow in misery and trauma—she still needed to act quickly, just as she had at the Temple.

"Right…he's not completely lost to the dark side. If he was, I wouldn't be alive—he would have killed me."

Padme paled. "Zelina, he would never—"

"Never hurt me? Yeah…that's what I used to tell myself," she murmured, unable to help a hand ghosting over her cheek. "He was going to kill me, Padme—it's not something I'm about to forget. But he didn't."

"Because he couldn't—it's you," Padme said pointedly.

"That wasn't enough."

Zelina felt the rush of fear that washed over the woman at her words, but to Padme's credit, she kept her composure. "Then why did he spare you, if it wasn't because it was you?"

Zelina hesitated. "I told him."

When Zelina didn't immediately expand, Padme leaned in. "Told him what?"

Zelina's thumb pushed slowly along the back of her hand, eyes unfocused for a moment before she brought herself to focus on the woman sitting beside her on the couch. "I told him I loved him."

Padme sucked in a sharp breath. "Oh…"

Zelina snorted bitterly. "Yeah, oh…I guess I'm hoping it wasn't just shock factor that saved my life. I have to believe…I have to believe that hearing me say it out loud was enough to snap him out of it, just enough…I have to believe that…that…"

Words from Mortis floated back to her, long forgotten in the confusion of the Clone Wars but now searing with an intensity she hadn't expected to feel from the once puzzling phrase.

"One's undoing can also be their salvation," Zelina murmured.

"What?" Padme asked in confusion. Zelina grabbed her shoulder.

"One's undoing can also be their salvation! Force, it finally makes—we have to go. We have to find Anakin, I know how to help him, I know how to save him," Zelina said feverishly, rising to her feet and taking several steps before she realized she didn't have a destination in mind. "Where's Anakin? I know you know, we have to find him now before Obi-Wan finds him, we can reason with him, we can bring him _back_ , before it's too late!"

"Slow down," Padme said sharply, rising from her seat. "First you have to make sense, Zelina. What finally makes sense?"

Zelina did her best to snuff out the light of exasperation that sprang up at Padme's demand for an explanation. There wasn't time…

 _Patience. Rushing in without a clear plan doesn't always work, you can't wing this—_ Anakin _can't afford for you to wing this. Explain it to her, get the information, make a plan, then save him_ , Zelina chided herself.

"Did Anakin ever tell you about a place called Mortis?" Zelina asked intently.

"No…"

"Okay, long story short, there were three beings that embodied different aspects of the Force, one the light, one the dark, and one that I guess you could say was the balance, or perhaps the Force overall. The last one was known as the Father. And the Father told me while we were on Mortis that 'One's undoing can also be their salvation.' At the time it didn't make any sense to me, but now…Padme, Anakin fell for love! Not _because_ of love, that would just be some Jedi Order bantha poodoo they'd try to shove down our throats—he fell because he was afraid to lose what he loved," she said intently, putting her hands on the smaller woman's shoulders.

"His undoing," Padme said, the pieces of Zelina's ramblings falling into place in her minds eye. "You think that because he fell for love…he can be saved by love."

_I can sense your deep love and devotion for your friend. Hold those feelings close to you, for they will be key to his survival._

"Which is why we have to find him first," Zelina said seriously. "The two women who love him, we have to be the ones to shake him out of this."

Suddenly Padme turned doubtful. "Do you really think it will be that easy?"

Zelina scoffed. "Nothing's ever easy, but we have to try, Padme. For him."

Padme's hands fell over her now prominent stomach, caressing the baby bump with protective care. Zelina dropped her hands to Padme's arms. "We can do this, Padme…please."

Padme met Zelina's gaze, the warrior queen Zelina had met as a child coming out full force, though this wasn't a physical battle that they were about to wage. "You're right. I'll have Captain Typho prepare my ship, and we'll go see Anakin."

Zelina watched Padme draw out her com link, a determined fire igniting inside the woman to momentarily stave off the fear that was seeping through both of them.

"Mustafar."

* * *

Even smuggling on board a Jedi Knight, and a renowned one known to be close friends with Padme, Captain Typho was not happy to be letting Padme travel to Mustafar without guards. The rumors that the Separatists had been hiding in the system were alive and flourishing, and the fact that Padme was going out there for no clear reason with only one Jedi Knight and a protocol droid was not something that eased the Captain's mind.

Padme, Zelina, and Threepio all gathered in the cockpit for the flight, Threepio taking up the pilot seat while Padme settled for copilot, Zelina a mere bystander for the time being.

Once they were underway, she wanted to take some time to herself to try and gather her wits—and decide what she was going to say to Anakin to try and reason with him again. At the Temple she'd been caught off guard, stressed and cornered, fighting for her life—she didn't have time to even think of all the warnings the Force had given her via Luke, or of the Father's warnings. She was also fairly certain if she really sat down and processed everything that had happened, then aside from the heaps of trauma she'd be dragging out into the ocean and possibly some more guilt, she might be able to find even more to argue her case.

Despite the fact they were racing towards Mustafar and a dark Anakin, Zelina felt tension bleed away as Coruscant disappeared behind her. She had the idle thought of wondering if any of the small groups that had escaped from the Temple had made it off world.

The escapees!

Zelina moved suddenly, fumbling for her com link and punching in the number that had been engrained into her muscle memory after years of battle. When it connected, Zelina didn't even give the person on the other end enough time to answer.

"Cruiser?"

There was an audible cry on the other end of the com that drew the attention of her other two companions, one that transcended definable emotions. Then, " _General?_ You're _alive_?"

Zelina smiled at the welcome voice, feeling more of the tension and a few more of her worries leave her. "Yes, I'm okay, Cruiser, I got out with some help," Zelina murmured. What about you, did you guys get out okay?"

"We lost Trimmy and one of the younglings getting out, but the rest are fine and left Coruscant a long time ago," Cruiser said quietly. Zelina felt a pang at the news of even more loss, but she was glad to hear the majority were gone and well out of reach of any Coruscant forces. Hopefully they'd manage to _stay_ out of Palpatine's grasp.

"Cruiser…you and the others have already done so much for me…but I need a favor."

"Anything, General."

Zelina turned, making sure to meet Padme's gaze so the woman would see Zelina held no ill will as she spoke. "I'm going to need you to get Rider…Commy too, probably. Keen-eye…and anyone else you see fit for an emergency extraction plan."

"Extraction, Ma'am?" Cruiser asked. Padme was looking at her quizzically, and with a light of fear flickering in her face.

"Just as a precaution. I'm attempting a…sensitive mission with a friend. In case we end up in trouble and need some assistance, I'd like to have someone standing by. For my own peace of mind, after everything that's happened."

"Where do you need us?"

"The Mustafar system. Careful, though—I don't want you registering on any scanners, so maybe just be a short jump away if you're needed rather than in the system itself," Zelina suggested.

"Consider it done, Ma'am…Whatever you're doing, take care of yourself, General," Cruiser added hesitantly.

"You too, Cruiser. You too."

Zelina ended the connection, tucking the com away as Padme watched her with a critical eye. Padme at least waited until she was sure the ship was on the right track before she rose to her feet, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What was that about?" Padme asked accusingly.

"I had the 105th remove their chips a long time ago, so they weren't forced to turn on me. They helped at the Temple, and I hadn't told them that I'd survived yet," Zelina explained.

"And the part about sending them to _Mustafar_?"

"If there's 501st there, or any Republic troops, I won't be very welcomed. If something goes wrong, like Anakin doesn't listen, or Force forbid Palpatine shows up…I just want to be prepared for anything. After what happened at the Temple, I think it's a smart thing to do," Zelina explained. "Besides, I told them to be at the ready, not to come into the system with us."

Guilt flickered across Padme's face. "You…have a point. I'm sorry, I guess I just…with everything happening—"

"Its okay," Zelina murmured. "Anyone who's smart will be acting extra cautious right now."

A heavy silence fell between them as the weight of recent events loomed over them once again. Knowing Zelina couldn't put it off much longer, Zelina sighed.

"How long until we reach Mustafar?" Zelina asked Padme, slipping off her cloak and folding it up into a makeshift cushion that she could sit on in the meantime.

"A few hours—why?"

"I'm going to meditate…think things over before we get there," Zelina said softly, taking up her seat on the floor. "At the very least prepare myself."

"I understand," Padme said quietly.

A silence settled over the cockpit as Zelina calmed herself as much as she could, finding herself focusing on letting the tension ease out of her muscles as much as she could, trying to find something to put her soul at ease only after she'd reached some form of physical relaxation.

Unfortunately, with her eyes closed, she could only see the destruction of the Temple, the bodies that littered the floor and fell all around her, the men of the 501st turning on the Jedi as a whole. The shouting, the blasterfire…Anakin's face, a dark shadow looming over the Temple, swallowing the innocents in the Temple whole.

_No, no, no, no, no, don't think about that. If you think about that, you'll lose your nerve, you might give up before we even get there. Think of something else, anything else…_

Think of the fields on Naboo…the feel of the water against skin, lying in the tall grass, looking up at the stars before there was any war, remembering the innocence of childhood…that one dream—or had that been a vision—where she'd laid in Anakin's arms, content and safe before Luke came to guide her home. Think of the day she'd become a knight, when they'd sat on the edge of the fountain together in peaceful silence. Every time he'd held her when she was weak. The day she'd built her first lightsaber and the violet blade sprang to life, an elegant weapon of her own creation…

Time lost meaning as she let herself soak in her better memories, in the what ifs and the heartfelt moments snagged between the rush and chaos of war. For what felt like a short time, Zelina managed to find herself a corner of peace away from the chaos of the galaxy.

A sob broke through Zelina's concentration.

Opening her eyes and looking over to the copilot's seat, Zelina saw Padme leaning over the console, trying to muffle the sounds she made as tears streamed down her face. Immediately, Zelina climbed to her feet, making her way over to the woman in record time. One of Padme's hands rested on her belly as she cried, a fact Zelina didn't miss. She put one arm around Padme, the other covering the hand that rested over her belly.

"Hey…he'll be there, okay? He'll listen—we'll make him listen. He'll come home, and your baby is going to have both of their parents, okay? We'll make it work," Zelina murmured in a soothing voice.

"I just…can't believe it's come to this. It was just a nightmare," Padme bemoaned. Zelina felt her heart pang painfully at Padme's words.

"And that's all it will be. It's not going to happen, okay? I won't let it. You're going to be okay, and so is Anakin. You'll see."

A silence settled over them as Zelina comforted Padme, letting the other woman cry as much as she needed to, doing her best to keep the pregnant woman calm and comfortable. Eventually, the tears subsided, and the two sat in companionable silence.

"We're almost there," Padme suddenly said. "Do you know what you want to say?"

"A general idea…you?"

"Not in the slightest. I don't think I'll know until I really _see_ …"

"Fair enough…I'm going to get you something to drink, is that all right? I've been on Mustafar before—its hot, and there's a lot of ash, so I suggest drinking something now," Zelina said softly.

"Thank you, Zelina."

Zelina nodded, gathering her cloak off of the floor as she moved for the cockpit's exit. She'd hardly been on this ship, but it wouldn't be hard to poke around until she found a place to store the cloak and where she would get water for both of them. Almost without thought, Zelina opened one of the compartments to throw her cloak inside…

…and promptly let out a shriek that started off startled, but swiftly turned to one of barely-restrained rage.

Padme came flying out of the cockpit at the sound, but Zelina was already giving a name to what had elicited such a reaction.

" _Obi-Wan?_ "

The accused Jedi crawled out of his hiding space as Padme arrived on the scene, his scowl unrivaled by the storms of anger appearing on the faces of the two women.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing in here?" Zelina said hotly, instantly jumping into the heart of the matter.

"My duty—the same thing _you_ should be doing," Obi-Wan returned. "He's a threat, Zelina, he has to be stopped, you know that. There'll be no reasoning with him."

"So you sneak aboard _my ship_?" Padme snapped.

"It was the only way I was going to find him, since neither of you were about to help me."

"There's a _reason_ we're not helping you, Obi-Wan, and it's because you're _wrong_ ," Zelina said sharply. She chose her next words, even the harsh ones, carefully and with a purpose. "Did you even stop to think how this would look when we reached Mustafar? Did it occur to you that you'd be putting me and Padme in the line of fire to get your attempt to _murder_ Anakin, that you'd be putting an _unborn child_ in the line of fire? If we hadn't found you and you'd disembarked while we were talking to Anakin, he could have thought that we'd betrayed him, that we brought you with us to _kill him_!"

"I'm simply prepared to do what must be done!"

"Careful, Obi-Wan, you're starting to deal in absolutes," Zelina said dangerously, her words and tone causing him to come up short.

She'd never thought she'd find herself turning her temper free on Obi-Wan to put him in line, and yet here she was. It was just the day for that, wasn't it?

"Anakin has fallen to the dark side—he's not Anakin anymore! He needs to be stopped before he can hurt anyone else," Obi-Wan said, struggling to reign in his temper.

"He doesn't need to die, Obi-Wan, we can bring him _back_ —"

"No, you _can't_ , Zelina. I know you think because he spared you at the Temple that you can save him, but there are plenty of other, darker reasons for him to have saved your life—"

"I am _not_ a fool, Obi-Wan," Zelina thundered, her voice calm despite the dangerous volume. She did, however, have to resist the urge to grab him by the front of his robes as she had done with Anakin before. She didn't want to give Obi-Wan the impression she was falling to the dark side—which she was _not_. Considering everything that was going on, an emotional response was perfectly appropriate right now. "Don't think that I'm holding blindly to nothing because I can't let go. I am _perfectly_ aware of what he's done, and no, it's _not_ excusable, but I know he can be saved. I _know_. I'm not saying it because I _want_ it to be true, either, I _truly know it_."

"How could you _possibly_ know, with how far he's fallen?"

"I've been being told for _years_ to save him from the dark side, Obi-Wan," Zelina finally erupted. "The _Force_ has told me to save him, the _Father_ told me to save him, his _unborn child_ told me to save him time and time again, _he_ told me to save him, and I'll be _damned_ if I'm going to fail because you got the bright idea to try and _sabotage us_!"

Zelina cooled her temper enough to speak in a quieter, but still strong voice, ignoring the thunderstruck looks she was receiving. "I have been having clear visions and warnings telling me to help him for _years_ , telling me to save him. It's what I'm meant to do, Obi-Wan, it _has_ to be. So yes, he can be saved, because I'm going to do everything in my power to save him, and so is Padme, and he _can_ be reached, and I've _seen_ him be reached. I know you have your orders from Yoda…but I have my plea from the Force. How would you feel if you killed him only to find out later that he could have been saved? _Let me_ try to save him, _let me_ try to do this my way, before we do it Yoda's way. _Please_ , Obi-Wan."

"We're coming out of hyperspace," Came Threepio's pleasant yet out of place voice from the cockpit. No one reacted to his announcement, all three staring between each other in varying levels of tension. Zelina refused to back down, gaze riveted to Obi-Wan's while Padme glanced between the two almost fearfully.

"What if you're wrong? What if he can't be saved?" he challenged.

"Then I'll call for help," Zelina replied easily. "Until then, let us try, please. Stay on the ship, stay hidden. If we're successful, and we can calm him down, we'll call you over to talk with us. If we fail, we'll call for help."

"Please, Obi-Wan," Padme added, a hand resting instinctually on her abdomen. "Let me try to save my husband."

The shock was clear in his face at Padme's use of the title—since he'd been well aware that they were in a relationship, but not that it extended to marriage—but after some clear hesitation, Zelina felt him give just a little.

"All right…all right, I'll let you try. But mark my words, it won't work. This will only make things worse."

Zelina breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the ship shudder as they entered atmosphere. Instantly, she stiffened.

"Hide," she hissed, a command the Jedi Master obeyed swiftly as Zelina and Padme tried to regather themselves for the coming confrontation.

_Love. Love. One's undoing can also be their salvation. Love…we can do this. We can do this._

The ship started to lower itself onto a landing platform.

_Force, please let him listen to us._


	18. Penultimate

"I think you should go outside first—you should be the first thing he sees. I'll be right behind you," Zelina murmured as the ship started to power down, both women looking out at the fiery surface of Mustafar. Even with the fact she knew there were energy shields that were protecting the facilities from the spewing lava flows, it still made her nervous to see such a dangerous substance _everywhere._

Out on one of the balconies, they saw a cloaked figure moving to see who had arrived, one that picked up its pace once it recognized the Nabooian vessel.

"There he is—go on," Zelina encouraged, lowering the ramp for her. Padme had already rushed passed her as Zelina let out a slow, shaking breath, trying to calm the nerves that had suddenly roared to life now that she was here. She turned to the protocol droid beside her to delay the inevitable just a few seconds longer. "Watch the ship, Threepio."

She didn't wait for the protocol droid's response, already turning to follow Padme's path off the ship. She spared Obi-Wan's hiding place a brief, exasperated look before she shook it off, cautiously descending the landing ramp, unsure of how Anakin was going to react to her presence.

Padme and Anakin had been in the middle of a tight embrace as Zelina started to disembark the ship, one that Anakin pulled away from when he spotted Zelina over Padme's shoulder. "What are you doing here?" he asked sharply, taking a step around Padme and towards Zelina in what seemed to be a threat. She ignored the motion—outwardly, since she wasn't stupid enough to ignore a threatening movement towards herself no matter _who_ was making it—retaining her calm.

"We both came for the same reason, Anakin—we came here to see _you_ ," she said evenly.

"You should still be asleep in the Temple," Anakin growled.

"I woke up."

"I don't recall waking you," Anakin returned, hand making a familiar twitch towards his lightsaber.

"Distance tends to weaken one's ability to use and hold a Force power, its basic knowledge. You did move from the core to the outer rim, and I'm not a pushover. Anakin," she said seriously, stepping forward and holding out a hand in a gesture of peace to stop him from drawing his weapon on her. "I came to talk."

"How do I know you're not here to kill me?" he practically snarled. Zelina looked at him in pained exasperation. How had he already gone from sparing her to thinking she might kill him in such a short period of time? Then again, hardly twenty-four hours ago he'd gone from Jedi to Sith, from about to execute her to faking her death to spare her life, was she really surprised that he'd gone from seeing for himself she refused to harm him to thinking she might want to kill him? He was all over the place, erratic, _unstable_.

Never a good mix with Anakin. The dark side was probably only making those moods and the instability worse, especially since he was newly turned…and still held to the light in some regards.

"Because we've already been through this—I _won't fight you_ ," she repeated adamantly. To prove her point, Zelina slowly unclipped the lightsabers from her belt before offering them to him hilt-first. "If it makes you feel better…"

"Anakin, it's true," Padme tried to reassure him, glancing between the two nervously. Anakin hadn't moved to take Zelina's lightsabers, but nor had she attempted to clip them back to her belt, the two weapons still held in a silent offering between them. "She came to help us, not to kill you, why would you _think_ that?"

Anakin's gaze didn't break from Zelina, not even to glance at his wife as he stared intently at Zelina. She saw accusation in his eyes, distrust, suspicion, anger…

"I'm starting to question a lot of things about her. Especially motives," Anakin returned in a clipped tone. Zelina realized he wasn't just holding to Padme with one arm possessively, but also protectively, like he perceived Zelina as a threat.

 _This is not headed in a good direction_.

"My _motives_? I'm here to help, Anakin, like I've been doing since we were _children_. I'm not about to stop now when I'm needed the most," she said carefully, trying to figure out what was going on in his head as she spoke. That was something she needed to discover quickly if she was going to stay alive as well as help him—the twitches of his hand towards his lightsaber told her as much. At least he was letting her talk…for now.

"And _yourself_? Does what you want really line up with helping us?" Anakin accused venomously.

 _That_ was it. _That_ was what this was all about. The realization hit her with the force of a lightning storm. Sometime between Zelina's confession that she loved him and now, he had gotten it in his head…

"Anakin, what are you saying?" Padme said warily. However, the look on her face told her she was coming to the same conclusion Zelina had already reached.

"He thinks I want you out of the way so I can have him to myself," Zelina told her, still refusing to break her gaze away from Anakin's. He bristled as Zelina answered Padme's question.

"I can speak for myself," he hissed. Zelina's response was instant and sharp. She wasn't used to Anakin being so hostile towards her, but she refused to cower or to let herself return his hostility with too much of her own—doing so would only escalate the situation, and the entire reason she was here was to diffuse the ticking time bomb that was Anakin Skywalker on the dark side.

"But it's true, isn't it? You really think I could stoop so low as to let one of my closest friends die so I could…what, make my own move?" Zelina accused, making sure her hurt and accusation came across clear so he would know how much this particular conspiracy he'd cooked up cut her deeply. "If you really thought so lowly of me you should have just killed me in the Temple. Why spare me if you were suspicious that I was out to get you—or out to get Padme, as I suppose the case would be?"

Before Anakin could respond, Padme cut in. "That's the most outrageous thing I've ever heard! Zelina's a sister to me, she's always stood up for you, even when she didn't agree with you. Even now, she's still standing up for you, and you're accusing her of _betraying_ you? Of wanting me _dead_?"

"You don't know everything, Padme, you weren't there, you didn't hear what she said," Anakin dismissed sharply. "She has every reason to want you dead, and I won't risk it."

"I have every reason to not want her dead, considering she's my best friend and I know that it would _destroy_ you, which is the _last_ thing that I want!" Zelina said fiercely.

"Anakin, listen to her!" Padme added, clutching to his arm in an attempt to garner his attention

"She's—"

"In love with you, yes, I know—I've known for years," Padme cut Anakin off, finally catching his attention with the admission. She didn't stop there, either. "We used to talk about it quite a bit. In fact, it still will come up in conversation every now and then, because we're both well aware of how each of us feels, and we haven't let it come between us. In fact, there's a sort of solidarity between us because we know both of us only want you safe and happy."

Anakin being Anakin, especially considering his current volatile state of being, only focused on one thing. "You've _known_?"

"Since before we were even married, yes," Padme said quietly. "I actually went to her before we married to…I guess you could say get her permission. I knew how she felt, and I wanted to make sure she really was okay with it."

"Not that she needed to," Zelina added hastily, since the way Padme had worded it made it sound like Anakin and Padme had required her permission to marry—something Anakin would _not_ appreciate. "I never spoke up, so I never had any claim to you. You chose _Padme_ , you've been _Padme's_ —I accepted that a long time ago."

Anakin stared long and hard at Zelina, a war going on behind his eyes. Yet again, Zelina offered him her lightsabers as a gesture of peace and trust. "Anakin, please. I'm not your enemy—I never was. I just want to help."

"You weren't too keen on helping me back at the Temple, when I asked for it," Anakin returned coolly.

"Because that's not the kind of help I'm offering," Zelina answered without pause. "Anakin, you're making a terrible mistake—"

"I'm doing what I must—I've already told you this," Anakin said sharply.

"By turning to the dark side?" Padme accused. Anakin's head whipped around to lock his gaze on his wife, who still clung to his arm in a silent, continuous plea. "She told me, Anakin—she told me what happened in the Temple, she told me you'd turned, that you led the attack."

"You—!" he started to accuse, but yet again he was cut off.

"She has every right to know, Anakin, she's your _wife_ ," Zelina said sharply, lowering her proffered lightsabers. Deciding they were never going to get to the point that she could actually hand them over, she simply clipped them back onto her belt.

"You had no right—"

"Well, you weren't about to tell me the truth!" Padme accused, drawing his attention again before she softened her voice. "Anakin…please. What you're doing, what you've done…"

"I'm doing this for you—to protect you."

Zelina did her best not to scream at him.

"Anakin, she was perfectly healthy!" she snapped, her left hand repeatedly chopping into the open palm of her right in a physical manifestation of the frustration she was trying to keep at bay.

" _Was_?" Anakin asked dangerously, a hand tightening on Padme's arm in a reflex to protect her from some unseen threat.

"Anyone remotely familiar with pregnancies could tell you that this much stress isn't good for the baby, especially with how far along she is. She's been under more stress in the past twenty-four hours, than during this entire damn war!" Zelina accused. "If anything, all your—your— _antics_ have only made things worse! Intentional or not!"

Padme's hands dropped instinctively to her rounded belly, a movement neither Force Sensitive missed. "I'm not the one that dragged her all the way out here and told her about everything," Anakin growled.

"But you should have," Padme returned. "I shouldn't have had to hear it from someone else, you should have told me, I expect you to be _honest_ with me!"

"I knew you wouldn't approve…and I need to do this—I won't let anyone change my mind!" Anakin said fiercely, looking between the two women as if to emphasize his point. Padme reached out to touch his face, to draw his attention solely to her as her fingers traced his jaw in an almost desperate manner. For the moment, Zelina stepped back, allowing Padme to try and reach her husband.

"Anakin…All I want is your love," Padme said in a shaking tone of voice. Anakin was quick to scoff at the thought.

"Love won't save you, Padme—what good is love if you're not alive, if you don't _survive_? I _need_ these new powers so I can save you," Anakin returned, voice low and intense.

"But at what cost? Anakin, look at everything you've done because of a distant possibility that something could go wrong! I know you're a good person, _don't do this_!" Padme pled. She reached out with both hands to gently run her fingers through his hair in a soothing motion, as if hoping to coax the Anakin she knew back to the surface. "Please, Anakin…Come away with me. Help me raise our child away from all of this…this _death_ and _destruction_. Leave everything else behind _while_ _we still can_!"

"Don't you understand, love? We don't have to run away anymore, we don't have to answer to anyone!" Anakin had adopted the same tone he'd used as he'd tried to coax Zelina to join him, the one that seemed like he meant for it to be soothing, when really it only came off as creepy. "I have finally brought peace to the Republic. And I'm becoming more powerful than the Chancellor, I-I can overthrow him, especially if Zelina were to work with me, like I asked her too! Then together you and I can rule the galaxy—make things the way we want them to be!"

As Anakin spoke, Padme started to slowly back away, and Zelina could sense the woman's faith in what Zelina had said about there still being a chance to pull him back to the light dwindle. She chose that moment to step forward, placing a hand in reassurance on Padme's arm as she cut in, subtly starting to place herself between Padme and Anakin so Padme could have a moment to recover and Zelina could claim Anakin's attention.

"Anakin, you hate politics," Zelina stated bluntly. "And Padme doesn't want to be in charge of an _empire_ that is built on blood—mostly _innocent_ blood, on top of that—you _know_ she doesn't! And if you don't want to be ruler that has to deal with all the politics than why would you try to force ruling an empire she wants no part in on her?"

"I think she can speak for herself, Zelina," Anakin snapped.

"You're right, she can, but I also think she needs a moment." Zelina put out a hand to gesture towards the woman a step behind her, as Padme currently had a hand over her mouth, a storm of emotions raging around the woman whose whole universe was collapsing around her.

"I don't need help, Zelina—I need people like you to stop making things seem worse than they really are," Anakin said in a dangerously low tone of voice.

"Worse than they really are? Anakin, you almost _killed me_ , you helped wipe out the Jedi Order in a night, you _did_ kill children!" she finally shouted, and behind her Padme let out a sob. "I'm scared for you, I'm scared for your _son_!"

Anakin held up a finger in warning. " _Don't_!" he said sharply. His tone, however, told her she was on the right track.

It was time to bring out her big guns—it was time to play the Luke card.

"You haven't even factored him in, have you? You've been so hell-bent on saving Padme, you're not even _thinking_ about Luke!" Zelina accused. "Or maybe you don't want to think about him, because then you'll have to face more evidence that you're on the wrong path."

"Everything I'm doing is for my wife and child, Zelina," Anakin snarled.

"No, it isn't, Anakin, because if you were thinking about your son, you'd remember that in every blasted vision I've had of him he's begged for me to help you not fall to the dark side. Every vision, Anakin, every time, always had something about helping you resist the dark. How do you take all those warnings as permission to _turn_ to the dark side?"

"You're the one who kept telling me visions aren't always accurate," Anakin shot back.

"Yes, because my many clear and potent visions about a child that was only just conceived pail in comparison to your vague recent dreams where you can't even see what specifically happens to Padme or if the baby is okay," Zelina said scathingly. Anakin raised his hand in a familiar gesture that had Zelina's heart leaping into her throat, but her hand shot out to take the one threatening to use a dark side power on her into her own hand. "Anakin, please…think of Luke, think of everything I've ever told you about him. Every one of our choices affect him, Anakin—did you ever think of what this is going to do to your son? He was _terrified_ of all the darkness in the galaxy."

"That could have just been the Chancellor—and I want to overthrow the Chancellor," Anakin argued, though Zelina pounced when she saw how weak of an excuse it was, how he was falling back on excuses with larger holes, his arguments starting to fail him.

"Forget the Chancellor, Anakin, this isn't about him, its about you and your _family_ ," Zelina stressed. "They need you, Anakin. They need Anakin Skywalker, Jedi, Father, Friend, Brother—not Darth Vader, destroyer of the Order and right hand to the Sith Lord Emperor. Your son needs you, whole and on the light side of the Force."

"I need to save him first—if Padme dies, Zelina, I could lose my son, too—you said it yourself he was afraid of dying, it's entirely possible he could," Anakin argued passionately. "I'll do anything to stop that from happening—I have to!"

"Luke also once said to me, in a vision that's now come completely true, that being willing to do anything could mean you're willing to do what _cannot be done_ , and _that's_ the reason we're all in this mess. The reason we're in this mess, Anakin, is because you're willing to do what _can't be done_ , you're willing to forsake everything while trying to save some of it."

"I _need_ to use this power—"

"No, Anakin! The dark side doesn't heal, it doesn't fix—it destroys! All you've done since turning has been destruction! You're destroying yourself, too, and they need Anakin! _Luke_ needs Anakin, _Padme_ needs Anakin, _I_ need Anakin! _Not Vader_!" Zelina searched his eyes desperately, looking for inspiration, trying to figure out what she needed to say to pull him all the way back to reason—he was almost there. "Whatever Palpatine told you, it was a _lie_. Anakin, please, listen to reason, you're being deceived!"

"Anakin Skywalker isn't strong enough to protect what's his," Anakin shot back.

"And yet he's done just that for this entire war," Zelina returned sharply. She covered the hand she still held in hers with both hands, giving it a tight squeeze. "Anakin…my first vision of Luke came after we fought Dooku for the first time. He told me that his father was just trying to protect him and his mother, and the man lying on the ground, now that we're older and I see what you look like now, was you. And Luke was terrified, Anakin—terrified of the _scary man_ , as he put it, and I think the yellow eyes were yours, you fallen to the dark side, and he was terrified of _that_. Please, Anakin, don't do this, don't make everything your son's feared real, don't abandon who you are and your family despite all the warnings we've been given, _please_!"

"She's right, Ani," Padme said, having collected herself once more and approaching Anakin to gently hold to his arm as she'd been doing previously. "Please…I don't want this, I don't want this for us or for our child. Let's just…let's talk about this, before anything else happens. Let's talk. We'll find a way to make things right okay? Please, just hear us out…"

Anakin looked down, doubt _finally_ flickering in his gaze that he tried to hide from the two women pleading with him. "It's far too late to turn back now."

"That's not true," Zelina responded almost instantly—she'd been prepared for this part of the argument this entire time. "If it was too late, I'd be dead. We can still make this right, or at least start to—hope's not lost yet."

"I don't need you to fix everything in the galaxy, Anakin," Padme added, her voice retaining the same desperate plea as she'd had from the very beginning of this conversation. "I just want _my_ Anakin to be with me, and with our child."

"Let's just talk first, and see where things go from there, okay? Little steps, and we might find a solution," Zelina soothed, still trying to catch Anakin's gaze. He didn't look at her, but neither did he argue any further, appearing to be warring with himself on a far deeper level.

This was still something she could work with, though.

"Okay…okay," Zelina said slowly, trying to gather her courage for the next part. They'd successfully talked him down—now they needed to try and keep him calm while Zelina tried to bring in the third, unexpected and somewhat reluctant member of the _let's save Anakin_ brigade. She gently ran her thumb over the back of his hand. "We're going to talk, then, but first…"

Zelina glanced at Padme. She really hoped she wasn't about to send things plummeting south, but she doubted Obi-Wan would wait on the ship any longer even if she wasn't about to give him the _come out_ nudge. The look on her face seemed to be enough to give the woman a heads up, understanding flickering in her eyes.

"We had…a stow away," Zelina began to explain, already giving Obi-Wan a gentle nudge in the Force where he was still hiding on Padme's ship. "We only planned on the two of us coming to see you…but they're willing to talk as well, so please, Ani, don't—"

Anakin's sharp gaze flashed towards the top of the landing ramp of Padme's ship, a hiss escaping from between his now clenched teeth.

_Freak out…_

As Obi-Wan descended the landing ramp, expression serious and posture coiled for a fight, Anakin yanked himself free of Padme and Zelina's grips. "This was a trap!" he fumed, hand already flying for his lightsaber.

Curses were streaming through Zelina's mind, but she forced herself to stay sharp and avoid drawing her lightsabers. Once again, Zelina put herself in front of Padme, though this time she did so with the intent to shield her from any possible break out of a fight.

"No! No, it's not, he's willing to talk, just like we—"

" _Liar_!" Anakin snarled at her.

"I told you," Obi-Wan told Zelina stoically from where he stood on the other side of her. Zelina stalwartly ignored him.

"We're not here to kill you, Anakin!" she repeated fiercely, ignoring the fact that killing Anakin was, in fact, the mission Yoda had assigned Obi-Wan. It wasn't their primary goal, and considering Padme and Zelina _had_ talked Anakin down before Obi-Wan walked outside…

_If he ruins this now..._

"You expect me to believe that?" Anakin called his lightsaber into his hand as he spoke, turning on the blade as a murderous light crackled to life in his eyes. Obi-Wan was quick to mirror the threat, his own blue blade leaping to life. Panic shot through Zelina as they both took steps towards each other, falling into fighting stances. Before they could cross blades like they seemed on the brink of doing, Zelina quickly darted between them, planting herself with hands outstretched as if she could physically stop their lightsabers from slashing each other to ribbons. They were close enough that she could feel her palms heating up as the blades started to burn her hands, a pain that she was trying to ignore as she refused to move.

"Hey! Hey, no! Put them away, _now_! I won't have you two fighting when we're supposed to be here to _talk_ ," Zelina snapped.

"Step aside Zelina," Obi-Wan said firmly.

"Get out of the way," Anakin shouted at almost the same time.

"No," Zelina returned sharply.

"Zelina, _move_ ," Obi-Wan ordered.

" _No_!"

Always one to act instead of talk, Anakin stepped to move around her and charge Obi-Wan, prompting Zelina into action. Obi-Wan was already preparing to block, to retaliate, but Zelina pulled her lightly burned hands close to her chest in a motion she had once seen Anakin make. Taking a deep breath that gathered her own raw power into herself, she pushed both hands outwards in one sharp motion, and just as the Son and Daughter when Anakin had once done the same, Obi-Wan and Anakin were tossed backwards into the air in opposite directions. She restrained herself enough that they weren't sent flying off the platform and into the lava below, but it still put them a safe distance away from each other.

As the two got back on their feet, Zelina spoke again. "Stand down, both of you!" she ordered. Obi-Wan seemed to be reluctantly holding back from leaping into action again, though Anakin started to advance once more, lightsaber twirling loosely in his hand, before Zelina held up a threatening finger. "Anakin, don't make me do it again, because I will if you don't _back down_ ," she said sharply.

"Anakin, please," Padme interjected, taking a few steps towards her husband, but not getting too close since the three Jedi were on the brink of a fight, something she did not want to be in the path of if Anakin couldn't be pacified. "He stowed away on the ship, we didn't trick you—but he's willing to talk. Please, give him a chance, Anakin, he only wants to help."

A tense silence followed the statement, one where no one moved or spoke. Finally, Zelina cleared her throat and took the initiative.

"Now, I'm pretty sure we all have brains, even if some of them haven't been fully operational recently. So, you're both going to deactivate your lightsabers…We're going to go inside…and we're going to have a rational conversation, instead of instantly jabbing lightsabers at each other," Zelina said in as controlled and calm of a voice as she could, still standing firmly between the two with hands raised.

After a few more seconds of unbroken silence, Zelina heard Obi-Wan's lightsaber deactivate behind her, and out of her peripherals she saw the Jedi Master easing out of his ready stance, though he remained tense. Padme slowly approached her husband, gently placing a hand on his arm in an effort to sooth him. After a few heartbeats where Anakin glared at Obi-Wan, he deactivated his lightsaber with great reluctance, though he kept the weapon in hand as he tore his gaze from the older Jedi to look at Zelina.

"I don't think the décor is suitable for us to go inside," he said stiffly. Padme looked at him in bemusement, but Obi-Wan and Zelina, used to Anakin's play on words and darker sense of humor on the battlefield, found it easy to understand what he meant.

He'd probably massacred everyone inside and hadn't bothered to move the bodies—which was not a sight any of them wanted to expose to the pregnant senator. Whether or not she could handle it didn't matter—it wasn't something she _needed_ to see, and if she could avoid seeing a massacre that was anything like what happened at the Temple, then she should.

"Then we'll stick to the walkways—maybe stop in another building. This facility looks big enough to have plenty of places to duck into if we feel like it," Zelina said evenly, holding Anakin's gaze. "Besides, it doesn't really matter where we talk, so long as we do."

Anakin nodded curtly, looking like he'd rather be anywhere than here. Zelina could empathize with the thought, though in the context that she wished they'd never reached this point. He was still watching Obi-Wan with clear distrust, and Zelina was also hyper aware that he was still fidgeting with his lightsaber. It was making _her_ nervous, but as tempted as she was to ask that everyone turn over their lightsabers to someone who wasn't about to start swinging them—Padme, for example—she was certain that he'd be resistant, and asking him to disarm might _escalate_ the situation. So, she kept her mouth shut and took the first tentative step towards the facility, glancing around at the others expectantly so that they would follow.

Ideally. Anakin could also decide to do away with a tentative peace and attack Obi-Wan, but that was one of the worst-case scenarios, and she was trying to be positive.

Padme followed Zelina first, Obi-Wan and Anakin staring at each other intently to see what the other would do before Obi-Wan carefully stepped to follow after Zelina and Padme, never putting his back to Anakin in the process. Once Obi-Wan moved to follow, Anakin swiftly came to his wife's side, Zelina the only one willing to put her back to all three (She was hoping Padme and she had soothed Anakin's concerns about Zelina being out to get Padme enough he wasn't liable to attack her, and she knew she had nothing to worry about from Obi-Wan and Padme). Padme seemed to be trying to position herself as a buffer between Obi-Wan and Anakin, which frankly terrified Zelina with thoughts of what would happen if a fight were to break out. Once they were no longer moving, Zelina had every intention to be the one standing between the two Jedi.

After an unbearably long silence, Zelina couldn't take the tension any longer, speaking up even though she had yet to find a door to a room that didn't make Anakin clear his throat or shift self-consciously to indicate there was _unsuitable décor_ on the other side.

"I want us to put everything on the table, first," she said in a tone that was much more confident than she felt with everything going on. How was she supposed to be confident when everything around her was literally dying or being turned upside down? "It seems all of us have been keeping secrets—to one degree or another—and if this conversation is going to actually get somewhere, we need to be honest with each other. That way we can actually understand each other's situation instead of some of us being shortchanged information that could end up being important for how we see everything that's happened. Fair enough?"

"I agree," Padme said swiftly before either of the boys could object.

Anakin was casting dark looks at Obi-Wan, who wasn't even bothering to try and pretend he didn't notice. Zelina's next attempt of levity was a knee jerk response to the growing tension considering the people she was with, her usual response when things got difficult between Obi-Wan and Anakin, or Anakin and Padme had a spat of some kind.

"And may I just say, before anything else, that I called Palpatine being a bad person a long, long, _long_ time ago? I didn't expect him to be a _Sith Lord_ , but I _have_ been rather outspoken about him for a while now," she remarked in an almost flippant tone of voice, drawing a disapproving stare from Obi-Wan.

"This is hardly the time for that, don't you think, Zelina?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I think it's the perfect time. Everything out in the open, right? I guess we're starting with me," Zelina said with a note of bitterness creeping into her voice. She stopped long enough to turn around to address the others, clapping her hands together. "It seems everyone but Anakin knew I love him, though now even he knows, and it's still weird to be saying that out loud. Also, I've been having visions of Anakin and Padme's unborn child since just before the war started…Anakin was the only one who knew the specifics about _that_."

She surprised herself with the bluntness of her words, brutally shattering the barrier the tension and ice between them was creating—on her end, anyway—rather than trying to melt it down slowly.

Some things required heavy artillery and aggressive negotiations over the slow, gradual approach.

"Wa—wait, you're saying you—so all those times you two called—you kept saying him…it was because you had visions—because you knew—"

Obi-Wan was far more direct with what he was trying to say than Padme.

"Luke _Skywalker_? All this time, the apprentice you've been holding out for—was Luke _Skywalker_?"

Zelina shrugged. "Yeah, it was a bit of a shock for me, too. I didn't say anything cause it didn't exactly feel like something that was mine to share."

_That line seems to be the story of my life._

"And yet here you are, spilling the secret about my son to _him_ ," Anakin growled.

"He sensed the baby when he came to visit Padme earlier—that secret was already out. Besides, it's all going to come out anyway, that's the _point_. If you don't say it, then Padme or I will, so I suggest you let it be your own words instead of coming from what someone else knows," Zelina told him flatly. "Does that mean you want to start talking, next? There's quite a few questions everyone has, mostly about recent events, and yours is going to take the longest to explain."

"Obi-Wan first," Anakin ground out.

Zelina looked over at the older Jedi, cocking an eyebrow pointedly.

"The problem with that, Anakin, is that I haven't been keeping anything from you," Obi-Wan said evenly.

"Like I'm going to believe that," Anakin scoffed.

"It's true."

"Well…" Zelina said with a shrug. Obi-Wan turned a semi-incredulous, partially betrayed expression towards her, and she hurried to clarify. "There is plenty that you're aware of that Anakin doesn't know you've managed to piece together. We could work with that."

Anakin glanced between the two with growing suspicion. "What's she talking about?"

Obi-Wan didn't hesitate to make his exasperation clear as he shifted in place, shooting Zelina yet another disapproving look—that face was going to be burned into her retinas at this rate—as he folded his arms over his chest. "I've known…that you and Padme were continuing your relationship behind the Council's back. No one told me, I just knew," Obi-Wan added before Anakin could try accusing Zelina of being loose-lipped once again. "I never knew the… _extent_ of your relationship, not until recently with the baby and the terms _husband_ and _wife_ being tossed around. I understand why you didn't say anything…and I don't hold it against you."

"Padme?" Zelina murmured, hoping the other woman had something to say so that her husband didn't have time to scathingly reply to Obi-Wan.

Padme intertwined her fingers in front of her, brows furrowed in worry. "I suppose I've been keeping Zelina's feelings for you secret. It wasn't for me to tell, but I've known for…Since you two were assigned to guard me before the war. We would talk about how we both felt, and I asked her how she felt about our marriage because I knew how deeply she cares about you, and I knew she'd tried to tell you more than once, but…It's just how events played out. And I was never worried because I know she has a good heart, and I knew she'd always protect you and put your needs first, because that's what she's always done, Anakin."

Padme's short speech sent flashes of emotion through Zelina's being, brief moments of heartache and sorrow for everything she'd sacrificed for him, of the love she knew would never be reciprocated yet she continued to nurse.

Zelina turned her attention back to Anakin, who was refusing to look at anyone, staring out over the landscape of Mustafar. "Anakin…What happened?"

Anakin at least gave her the curtesy of a glance, his jaw flexing as a warning flickered in his gaze, a warning to leave well enough alone and back off, a plea to not push him, the ever-present anger that must have been kindled before the attack on the Temple that he was still keeping stoked, and desperation—

Anakin turned away before Zelina could gauge any more from his expression, passing the rest of them as he made his way down the walkway without an answer. Padme looked at Zelina in dismay, but Zelina only followed him—she was persistent, that was something all of them should have been aware of by now.

"Anakin, this isn't something you can just walk away from, you have to talk to us," Zelina lectured forcefully as she tailed her fallen friend, even as he opened a door to a room inside the facility far from where they had landed the ship. Her mind had enough time to tell her there were no bodies in immediate sight before Anakin rounded on her, his tone icy.

"I appreciate the concern, Zelina, but there's nothing to say, so you should take them and get out of here. I'll let Obi-Wan go this once for old time's sake, and I expect to see my wife safely back at her apartment."

"No, Anakin, there's _everything_ to say, and we're not leaving until it's been said," Zelina returned as Padme and Obi-Wan filed in behind her. "Anakin, something happened between the time you left the Temple and the attack, something that was enough to make you take a sharp turn into darkness. It wasn't _when_ you turned, a person doesn't turn that quickly. That's when you _committed_ to turning—the turning part came during the Temple's attack, and when you came here. I _know_ what made you desperate, I _know_ what made you afraid, I want to know what made you _commit_."

"You don't know anything," Anakin returned scathingly.

" _Then help me, Anakin!_ " Zelina's voice broke on the shrill note of desperation, palms face up and out in front of her in a pleading gesture. "No, I _don't_ know what's happening, that's why I'm here asking you, now, to explain it to me, to tell me what's going on! What happened to you before the attack on the Temple, what changed?"

Anakin's teeth ground together as he took in a long, choppy breath, shoulders tense as he drew himself up to his full height, again refusing to look at them as he cast his gaze towards the monitors in the room instead.

"He told me he was a Sith Lord," Anakin abruptly said. Instantly, every eye was fixated on him, though he still refused to look at anyone in turn. "Blatantly, after I told him Obi-Wan had engaged Grievous. I told Master Windu, who took a few other Jedi Masters to arrest Palpatine and made me wait in the Council Room. But I couldn't stay. I had to go, to make sure nothing went wrong."

Anakin's eyes seemed distant as he recounted his tale, one that Zelina was mentally lining up with her own timeline of events. His discovery of Palpatine and waiting in the Council Room had to have been what Zelina was sensing all the way in 500 Republica—and clearly he had followed after Windu and the others to the Senate building, since Zelina had just missed him when she arrived at the Temple.

"The fight was already over when I arrived. Windu was the only one left, and he'd beaten Palpatine. Palptaine was defenseless, and he was surrendering, but Windu was going to kill him anyway. I tried to argue, tried to tell him I needed Palpatine alive, tried to remind him it wasn't the Jedi way to kill an unarmed man, especially one trying to surrender, but he didn't _care_. He didn't care—all that preaching about the Jedi way, all those times he looked down on me, and he didn't give a damn about the Code, he was just going to kill him!"

Zelina held out a hand to stop Anakin as his voice rose in volume and fury, just with the intent to calm him down again before he continued the story. Anakin's gaze fixated on Zelina at the interruption, snapping back to the present. She couldn't see Obi-Wan's and Padme's reactions behind her, and Anakin was only looking at her since she'd interrupted him, waiting for her to say something. A brief silence hung in the air as she waited for some of the fire to die from Anakin's gaze, for his temper to cool before she slowly nodded.

"Keep going."

Getting the hint to not go off on side-tangent rants, Anakin let out a slow, annoyed breath before resuming his story. "I didn't even think about it when it happened. I just knew I had to stop him, because I needed Palpatine and…after I disarmed him, Palpatine sent him out the window." Anakin's gaze focused and hardened, but Zelina met it unflinchingly as her friend delved into the darker part of his story.

"The Jedi betrayed the Republic. All this time Palpatine's been suggesting it, worried that they might try to overthrow him, and he was right! They never trusted me, never, but they were ready to jump at the opportunity to use me to get close to the Chancellor so they could assassinate him and seize power for themselves. The Jedi would have been in control after killing him, if they somehow found a way to pacify the Senate. They didn't go there to arrest him, they went to _murder_ him. They betrayed me, betrayed Palpatine, betrayed the Senate, the Republic, all of it! And they weren't going to stop—not after what happened in that room. And they're so willing to toss out their own—even towards death sentences—when they're innocent, like they were going to be merciful to me after what I did!" Anakin scoffed. "So I…I had to make a choice. When Palpatine asked me to join him…it was either the Jedi who've done nothing but cause me pain recently, that crossed me and the Republic…or Padme. And _he_ promised to help Padme."

Zelina kept her face stoic as she took the information in, the series of events that led to where they were standing now, possibly from a warped point of view on Anakin's part. It was a mess of faulty logic, logic that had to have been carefully nursed by Palpatine in all those long hours Anakin spent with the man while carrying out the Jedi's honestly treasonous mission to spy on the Chancellor of the Republic. She hoped the reason he was talking was because he hoped he could convince them he was in the right, that they would see things from his point of view and gain a few allies—gain Zelina's support, secure Padme by his side despite his questionable choices, maybe he hoped to even get Obi-Wan's loose approval or support, or at least hoped the older Jedi would decide to leave it be or let it slide. That was something Zelina could still work with.

She set the majority of what she'd just been told aside, resolving that now was the time to play Palpatine's game—in reverse.

"So you agreed, and he sent you to the Temple before anyone could figure out what had happened," Zelina finished quietly. She didn't wait for an answer—it had been a statement, not a question. She did, however, gaze intently back into Anakin's eyes. "Palpatine's the one who told you about the alleged power to stop death, isn't he?"

Anakin nodded reluctantly, confirming Zelina's suspicion as Obi-Wan spoke up sharply from behind Zelina. " _What power_?"

Zelina started to turn towards the other two, though her gaze remained locked with Anakin as she raised a questioning eyebrow. "Do you want to tell him about the nightmare, or should one of us?" she said pointedly.

Anakin huffed, resistant to share the personal nugget with the person he trusted the least out of the three, but they were already so far into the story, he might as well. There wasn't any reason to hold it back except out of spite, and while Anakin wasn't below doing that…there was no point, since Zelina or Padme would just admit it anyway. And he hated someone else speaking for him more than he hated telling Obi-Wan himself.

"I had…a nightmare of Padme dying in childbirth…like the nightmares I had of my mother dying," Anakin revealed reluctantly. Zelina saw horrified realization click in Obi-Wan's mind and settle over his features as the older Jedi turned his gaze towards Zelina.

"That's why you've been studying healing so much recently," Obi-Wan murmured, turning his attention back to Anakin for a moment. "Did you talk to Master Yoda about your…dreams?" he asked carefully. Obi-Wan was well aware of the intensity of Anakin when it came to protecting his loved ones. Anakin's motivations and what had led him down this destructive path suddenly made sense to him.

A desperate Anakin bent on protecting the woman he loved and his unborn child mixed in with a secret Sith Lord that had Anakin's complete trust and wanted to sway him into darkness was a terrible, terrible mix.

In fact, a small part of Zelina's brain was declaring blaming the Jedi for Anakin's fall—partially—as perfectly sound logic.

A sneer twisted across Anakin's lips at Obi-Wan's suggestion that he should have just sought council from the Jedi Grandmaster. "Yes, and he simply told me to let her go, so he wasn't any help. And then I heard about a Sith who once had the ability to create life, to stop death, even."

"Anakin, we already talked about that, though," Zelina started carefully, but Anakin cut her off viciously.

"I know, and I decided it's worth it. Besides, there was no going back—I did what I could with the hand I was dealt."

"No, you panicked, and he manipulated you," Zelina said flatly. "He manipulated you like he's been doing since we were young—all he's ever wanted from you is your power at his beck and call, and now he has it."

"Not for long."

Zelina's eyebrows rose. "Oh? So you're already planning on stabbing him in the back, are you? Actually, I'm not surprised, you asked me to help you do just that back at the Temple, and I must say I'm relieved to hear your not planning on letting him hold power. I want nothing more than to see the slimy serpent cut in half at the neck, so it's nice to hear that we're all on the same page that Palpatine needs to be stopped."

"After he tells me how to save Padme," Anakin reminded her firmly.

"Anakin," Padme suddenly spoke up before Anakin and Zelina's track of conversation could heat up into an argument, coming to stand next to Zelina. "What did Palpatine say, _exactly_ , when he promised he'd help you save me?"

Anakin seemed taken aback. "Why?"

"Just…humor me. Palpatine's a skilled politician, I want to make sure that what he promised you is what he said. It will clear up whether the power you're talking about is a deception or not."

Anakin's gaze flickered towards Zelina, who was watching the two expectantly, waiting to see where this would go. "He said that…the power to cheat death had only been achieved by one but together we could discover the secret."

 _Anakin you idiot…I know you were panicked and stressed and everything else, but you_ idiot _!_

Padme's expression remained unreadable for a few heartbeats as she analyzed the secondhand words in her mind before she spoke in a calm and even tone of voice. "Anakin, he doesn't know, he doesn't have this power he's tried to draw you in with. He was very careful not to promise to save me and not to say that he had the power or knew it, he only said that the two of you _might_ be able to figure it out."

"Unlocking such a big secret of the Force's could take years," Zelina added, turning her attention to the man in front of her that seemed like he desperately wanted to turn off his sense of hearing. "Padme is due any day now—he _can't_ help, he just wants you to _think_ he can so that you'll help him. He's using you, Anakin—don't let him."

To Zelina's mild surprise, Obi-Wan joined the verbal fray.

"Might I also point out that Palpatine has no reason or motive to help save Padme?" Obi-Wan said carefully, his tone of voice reflected in the way he cautiously approached and held himself tense and ready to retreat. "In fact, he has every reason to want her dead—something that he's already tried to do. If he's the Sith Lord that's been behind this whole war, if he's been orchestrating events on both sides, then that means he's also responsible for assassination attempts on both Padme and Zelina. He knows how much they care about you, and vice versa, they'd always be a pull on you back towards the light. That would cast them as beings to be exterminated, in his view, if he wanted you to be his apprentice and wanted you to turn completely to the dark side. I wouldn't put it past him to stall until it's too late, and then shift the blame elsewhere, or claim he did everything he could."

Anakin didn't even contradict him, which gave Zelina surge of a sense of oncoming victory she eagerly pursued. They were getting through to him!

_A little…hopefully…_

"Even if it was an actual ability, I highly doubt it would be something from the dark side," Zelina dared to say. "We already talked about what that ability might entail if it was from the dark side, but giving it more thought, it might not even be focused on saving someone else—it might be focused on self-preservation if it does exist, which means it wouldn't be of help to Padme because she's not Force Sensative."

"Anakin, you remember Mortis, when Ahsoka…died?" Obi-Wan asked carefully, hesitant to bring up a delicate subject, though Zelina trusted that the older man had a point to make. "It was the Father and Daughter that brought her back, through you, and from what I remember, that ability looked far more like something from the light than anything that came from darkness. _If_ there is a way to stop death, to save someone's life or bring them back from the brink, it might not be dark at all—which would also mean it's an ability far beyond the Chancellor's means."

Zelina had to fight the overwhelming urge to kiss Obi-Wan's cheek as he finished, turning back to Anakin. "Anakin, Palpatine's lying—he doesn't know how to save Padme, he just wants to use your power to claim control of the galaxy. You can't trust him, so please, don't continue down this path any further than you already have!"

"How many times must I tell you—it's too late to turn back now," Anakin said in a surprisingly calm tone of voice. "The dark side, it—"

"Does not hold complete control over you yet," Obi-Wan said, surprising everyone as he too approached Anakin. "Zelina is right. If that was true, you wouldn't have spared her life, or have been convinced to listen to what we have to say and talk or let me live. If you were truly too far gone, you wouldn't actually care about Padme, either—you'd only look at what she could do for you to give you more power. You can still turn away from the dark side, Anakin—the only thing that will change that is whether or not you believe it to be possible."

"It is," Zelina said firmly. "Anakin…please…we want you to come back. Leave this behind, and come back to your wife and son. They need you. Luke doesn't want you on the dark side, Anakin, he wants his father whole and on the light side of the Force. He wants Anakin Skywalker, not the Sith Lord Palpatine has manipulated into being. If you stay on this path, you will inevitably destroy everything that you care about. My visions of Luke have suggested as much."

Zelina bit her lip, hesitant to push her luck with her next statement before she decided to do it anyway, just to be sure. "You mentioned it earlier. There was once I had a vision where Luke said that he was afraid to die, he said so before desperately pleading for me to help you with your darkness, he even called out for you. Please, if you won't do it for anyone else, or for yourself, do it for—"

A shrill alarm went off at one of the console stations, interrupting Zelina, who trailed off.

"…your son…"

Everyone's attention was now on the console that was alerting them to inbound ships— _plural_. Anakin hurried to the monitor before a dark look fell across his face, and Zelina felt an unforgiving cold settle across the room.

"It's Palpatine."


	19. My Last Stand

Zelina spun sharply to face Obi-Wan and Padme, one finger already thrusting out in the direction of the landing pad they had arrived on.  “Get her out of here!” Zelina demanded sharply.

Zelina’s own intent was clear in her posture and reflected in her eyes, an intent that had Obi-Wan stepping forward to refuse.  “No, you’re going to need me here—”

Zelina grasped Obi-Wan’s arm tightly, locking her gaze with his own.  “We’re not going to put Padme and her baby in harm’s way—I won’t have it.  Get her out of here, _she’s_ your priority.  I’ll make do,” she ground out, giving Obi-Wan a light shove so he would get Padme off Mustafar in their small window of time.  There were multiple ships, which means Palpatine was expecting trouble—Obi-Wan needed to keep Padme safe and protect her from any other threats.  If Palpatine brought clone troops, then Obi-Wan was the best choice for a defender, since he _was_ the Soresu master.

Obi-Wan’s expression was hesitant, even as he backstepped and gently placed a hand on Padme’s shoulder to lead her out of the facility.  Zelina watched them go, Anakin coming to stand beside her.

“Go with them,” Anakin said firmly, drawing his cloak around himself.

Zelina shook her head.  “I’m staying right with you until you’re…well, until you’re _you_ again.”  Zelina shook herself out of her temporary stupor and refocused on the present instead of the door Padme and Obi-Wan had disappeared out of, turning to face Anakin and placing her hands on his upper arms.  “I’m not asking you to be perfect, or to fix everything, and I’m not going to force your hand; but, Anakin…no matter what you decide…I’m staying right here with you.  I made promises, and I intend to see them through…to the very end.”

Anakin’s hand seized her arm in a vice grip.  “I spared you once, I can’t step in again.  Leave.  _Now_.”

Zelina refused to be moved.  “No.  Whatever happens next, we’re facing it together.”

“This isn’t the time for heroics, Zelina.”

“You’re right, it’s time for you to get back on track, to make the right choice.  Anakin, please—”

“Well, well…what have we here?”

Zelina froze at the new voice, both of their grips tightening marginally on each other as they registered that their brief time was already up.  Zelina hoped that perhaps Obi-Wan and Padme had made it to the ship without any troubles considering how fast Palpatine had descended on her and Anakin.  Maybe they hadn’t made it to the ship itself yet, but as long as they managed to stay ahead of whoever had been in the second ship…Zelina would be okay.

Zelina turned just enough to see who had entered the room—from a door other than the one Obi-Wan and Padme had disappeared out of, Zelina noted with relief—remaining fixed in place because of the vice grips that she and Anakin had on one another.  She didn’t need to look to confirm the owner of the voice—it was a very distinct voice, and one that was ingrained into her soul right over the definition of hate, especially with recent events.

She hadn’t expected _what_ she saw standing in the doorway.

The figure in the black robes wasn’t the Palpatine that she was used to dealing with face-to-face.  This being was shriveled with sagging skin and gnarled fingers, an exterior to match the foul soul Zelina had always suspected was being hidden within.  Still, he walked with a grace that defied his warped features, and the reminder of Anakin’s story that stated Palpatine had killed all the Jedi Masters who had gone to arrest him except Windu, who’d been killed when Anakin disarmed him, made her wary.  Zelina bristled at Palpatine’s presence on an ingrained instinct, her hatred of the man piercing into the room like a thrusting blade even as she carefully put the dark emotion on a leash, lest it control her or provide Palpatine with an avenue to manipulate her.

Despite Anakin’s wish to the contrary, they were in the final round, now.  Palpatine wouldn’t let her leave Mustafar alive now that they were in the same room, and Zelina wasn’t about to leave Palpatine and Anakin together so the Sith could tear down the progress Zelina, Padme, and Obi-Wan had just made.  She was going to get Anakin back if she had to pry him from Sidious’ twisted, dead fingers herself.

“I must say I shouldn’t be surprised that you’ve survived—you’ve proven to be annoyingly difficult to kill over the years,” Sidious sneered.  Zelina’s eyebrows raised marginally at the proclamation, and she carefully pulled herself free from Anakin’s suddenly still grip.

“Oh, so you’re admitting you’ve tried to kill me before?” Zelina challenged.  Palpatine was quick to smooth over his statement in front of Anakin.

“Oh, never outright, no…though I might have pushed some pieces around,” he said evasively.

Zelina snorted—it was good enough as a confirmation for her, but she wasn’t exactly in the mood for games, either.  “Please, isn’t it a little late in the game to be trying to save face around Anakin despite how much you hate me?  Besides, it seems we’re showing true faces now.”

She added the last part with a condescending smirk, pleased to see the irritation flash across Palpatine’s face at her jab.  Palpatine was too much of a politician for the simple remark about his appearance to goad him into compromising himself, though.  Palpatine wasn’t going to attack until he was ready, or it benefited him in some way…or at least he felt it wasn’t going to hurt his hold on Anakin too much.

“What are you even doing here, Du’ahn.  Surely you know that Anakin is beyond your reach, now?  Isn’t it time you let go, like the Jedi were always teaching you?  Time you let him and his wife live in peace instead of clinging to someone who isn’t yours?” Palpatine said in an almost disinterested voice.

Zelina’s expression solidified into an icy glare as he cut right to the manipulation and twisted words, a sneer curling her lips as he dared to try and turn Zelina’s feelings around as something for Anakin to view as dangerous.

Now she was getting an inkling of where he’d gotten that idea Zelina might want Padme dead in the first place.

“I’m not trying to take him from anyone but you, Palpatine.  You’re the leech, trying to use him to build your Empire, making him promises that you have no intention of keeping.”

Palpatine had the audacity to layer his sagging face into a look of mock disbelief.  “I want nothing more than to help his wife, and I have every intention of doing what I can to save her.  Your intentions…aren’t so clear.”

Zelina had to restrain the urge to snort in derision again.  “On the contrary, I have every reason to want Padme to live.  You on the other hand, well, you have plenty of reasons to want her dead, and your track record conflicts with that saintly proclamation of yours.”

Palpatine hummed in bitter amusement, coming to a stop a few paces in front of Zelina—which was much closer that she was comfortable with him beings.  She wasn’t comfortable with him being in the room period, but now he was considerably closer, and Zelina had to fight the instinct to bolt, her sense of danger steadily growing as if she wasn’t already aware of her current situation.

“We can stand here till Mustafar hardens and dies arguing over whose intentions are what they seem, or we can get to the heart of the matter.  You are a Jedi, little Du’ahn, which makes you a traitor to the Republic—a traitor that Lord Vader has been tasked with promptly exterminating.”

The end of his proclamation held the undertone of a sharp warning, as if to let Anakin know that he was displeased that Zelina was still alive and had not been killed—yet—by Anakin.  As much as Zelina had the instinct to turn and glance at her fallen friend standing behind her, especially after his statement that he couldn’t protect her twice, Zelina resisted, keeping her eyes forward as a show of trust.

“Wrong—I’m not a Jedi.  Not really.  The only reason I have a price over my head is because I’m the constant lynchpin of your plans, right Palpatine?  Besides…I’m one of Anakin’s strongest supporters.  I put him above everything, including the Republic…and I’ve known him far longer than you.  Though I’m not going to pretend I know his every move and thought, or try to predict what he’ll do or what he’ll choose.”  Now she glanced back at him, managing to catch his flickering gaze momentarily.  “That’s his choice, and no one can really speak for Anakin except him.”

Palpatine ignored her heartfelt words that were more directed at Anakin than Palpatine, putting on a thoughtful expression.  “I don’t recall you ever leaving or being thrown out of the Order…which I’m afraid means that you are very much so a Jedi, and thereby an enemy of the Republic.  You’re the enemy of the very system that he’s fought for, a threat to his wife, and not even a real friend, considering the secrets your willing to keep from him.”

“It’s not a republic anymore—you’ve completely destroyed the Republic and already announced it as reorganized into an Empire, remember?” Zelina shot back acerbically.  “And I’m not about to defend my loyalty to Anakin from you—Anakin knows me, he knows better, and I don’t have to prove myself to _you_ , just him—which I have done time and time again.”

Though Anakin has been doubting you recently thanks to Palpatine…

No, now’s not the time to have those thoughts.  Focus, and trust him.  He knows you won’t lift a finger to harm him, he knows he can trust you by now, he knows, don’t worry about that, focus on Palpatine.

“Lord Vader,” Palpatine said coolly.  “She is a traitor to the Republic.  You know what must be done.”

“I’ve betrayed no one, _especially_ not Anakin,” Zelina hissed.

“It is a simple matter, a choice between your wife and her life.  Which one means more to you, Lord Vader?  You need me to save your wife, and she won’t rest until she sees me dead—which would mean you lose your only means to save Padme.”

“If she could be turned…” Anakin started to say hesitantly, but Zelina cut him off.  She could feel the storm of emotions raging within him, the war that she had whipped up with Padme and Obi-Wan, especially now that Palpatine was here to try and pull on Anakin’s strings once more.  His inner conflict was ignited once more, and he was unsure which side he stood on now that both were being called into question.

“No.  I’m content with where I am in the Force right now, and I refuse to bend the knee to Palpatine.  Not that he doesn’t want it, either.  If I was returned I’d be unrestrained by my morals, and impossible for him to control because of how much I hate him.  I’d be more of a threat to him on the dark side than I am even now,” Zelina said calmly, staring down Palpatine.

“There is no choice,” Palpatine said pointedly.

“Actually, there is,” Zelina returned harshly.  “You’re just intent on robbing him of his choice.  Why don’t you stop hiding behind Anakin and face me yourself, you coward, if you really want me dead so badly.”

The moment the words left her lips, Zelina regretted them.  Anakin was at conflict with himself, and had yet to decide where he stood, so she couldn’t count on him as a support.  Not to mention, Obi-Wan had disappeared with Padme to get her to safety, which meant that Zelina was completely alone if she was to face Palpatine.  She knew her abilities were advanced, she knew she had potential and power that almost reached Anakin’s abilities, but she also knew herself well enough to know that Sidious was likely out of her league.  She might be able to hold her own, but there was no way she would win on her own.

But she was not going to give Palpatine the chance to goad Anakin into killing her—she wouldn’t have it.

Palpatine’s eyes glinted at her bold challenge.  “Quite the daring move, child.  You might want to rethink that statement before you get yourself into trouble.  There’s no one to save you this time.”

_No, there’s really not.  I’m not about to get a Force Luke assist, and Anakin’s as still as ever behind me, and Obi-Wan’s busy with the other priority.  It’s just me…_

Zelina drew herself up to her full height.  She was done avoiding the conflicts, of sidestepping and trying to find alternatives or altogether ignoring the personal conflicts.  This wasn’t going to be another time she backed down and tried to re-evaluate.  It was about time she stood up and called Palpatine out, time she planted herself in place and announced I will not be moved to the Sith Lord that had been slowly trying to tear down their lives for years now.  Besides, this way, perhaps she could force Anakin’s hand, perhaps, if the confrontation came to bear, he’d finally make his choice.

She just hoped that they had swayed him enough that his choice would be one that was in her favor.

“I’m not asking for a savior.  I’m calling you out.  You’re a fraud and a serpent.  I said I was done standing on the sidelines, and I meant it.  I will not join your cause, and I will not stand by any longer while you try to manipulate and control Anakin.”  Her hands twitched towards her lightsaber, not yet grabbing it despite her instincts screaming at her to do so because she did _not_ want to be the aggressor any more than she already was.  Sidious was going to be the first one to draw blood, not her.  It would just be another weapon in her arsenal.

“Your arrogance is your downfall, child—just as it was Master Yoda’s.”

Zelina didn’t have time for the last part of Palpatine’s statement to kick in before the Sith Lord launched himself at her with a furious howl, Zelina barely having time to activate her own blade to stay the deadly red lightsaber that now hummed inches from her face.  She now had a good look at the Sith Lord’s deformed features with his close proximity, but as intrigued as she was to know what had caused the sudden deterioration of Palpatine’s appearance, her mind was quickly yanked away from any idle thoughts as she forced herself to find her battle’s center.  Adrenaline rushed through her veins as she tapped into the Force, letting it sharpen her senses to a razor’s edge and strengthen her beyond her physical limitations.

This was a fight that was going to require everything she had if she was going to last long enough for the fight to not be pointless.

Sidious was pressing back against the blade with a demented cackle, trying to break past Zelina’s hurried defense, but she planted her feet and held her ground, taking a slow breath and momentarily closing her eyes in the face of his madness and delving into the center of her being.  Words spoken by Luke in one of her more potent visions not _too_ long ago ghosted to the front of her mind.

_Thank you…for helping me…_

_Oh, this isn't me…it's all you. I'm just helping you tap into your potential…_

With Luke’s help, she’d redirected missiles, sent a shockwave that ripped apart a platform, and even absorbed the energy of an entire lightsaber blade being shoved towards her chest.  It hadn’t even been Luke doing it, or the combined effort of two Jedi—Luke hadn’t really been there.  He’d been a vision.  A vision that had expressly told her that everything she did in those moments when he appeared to help her had come from her own potential.  Those were all abilities within her reach as she was now without any help.  She could absorb a lightsaber and send explosive shockwaves, could rip missiles out of the sky and send them crashing into new targets.  She _would_ hold her own against Palpatine.

_What are you prepared to do?_

_Fight._

Zelina opened her eyes again with a sudden surge of newfound strength and determination, activating her other blade and forcing Palpatine to step back to avoid a swipe at his abdomen from her green lightsaber, a snarl twisting the Sith Lord’s already marred features.  She took the opportunity to take a step forward of her own, to advance the playing field away from Anakin, deeper into the room, though Palpatine’s retreat had only been momentary, and didn’t give her much room to move before he leapt upon her again.

The first thing she noticed about his fighting style was the speed and ferocity.  Zelina could be fast herself, but Palpatine’s speed was on a different level entirely.  If he gained a solid hold on the offensive, she’d be hard pressed to keep up—she needed to keep him on the defensive as much as she could, and she needed to draw strength from the fact that she had something to fight for.  Palpatine had his vision, his power, his new-found Empire.

Since Palpatine only had one blade, Zelina used her extra lightsaber to her advantage, wielding the second weapon not parallel with her violet lightsaber, but as it’s own separate entity.  She attacked from one angle with the violet and simultaneous came in from another with the green, switching tactics and moving into the next attack whenever she felt resistance on her blades.

Zelina was fighting for her life.

Palpatine’s speed allowed him to keep up with Zelina’s attempt to disorient and cause him to leave something open, and slowly Zelina found herself using her green blade to defend herself from Palpatine’s crimson lightsaber more than she was using it to try and attack an undefended spot, since not only was she not making much visible progress with the attack, but occasionally it caused her to leave herself open, which was a weakness that Sidious was not hesitating to press the advantage of.

Zelina was fighting for Anakin’s soul.

Palpatine snarled wildly, a sudden burst of furious attacks of an entirely different lightsaber style and a switch to using his other hand to wield his lightsaber throwing Zelina off for a moment, causing her to retreat a few steps as she adjusted to the switch.  She was known to switch up her own style now and then, but this move told her that not only was he toying with her and figuring out the extent of her abilities, but he was just as well versed, probably more so, then Zelina in lightsaber forms, and could use both hands equally to wield his blade.

Zelina was fighting for Luke’s future.

Zelina growled as well as she recovered from the initial surprise, planting her feet and ducking low to avoid a precise strike at her neck, shifting her stance into something deadlier and more recent in her lightsaber combat arsenal.

Vaapad.

Palpatine noticed the shift, and started to cackle when he recognized the stance she used.

“Only a master of Vaapad can use that form effectively against me.  And you, child, are no master,” Palpatine taunted.

Zelina came in close and fast for a volley of blows that she was proud to say initially put Palpatine on the defensive with the surprise intensity of the action.  “I know just enough to make me dangerous,” she said in a low voice, already drawing on the adrenaline coursing through her veins to fuel her attacks.  She opened herself up to the Force as a whole, including outside of her innermost self, so that she could feed off of the dark energies that Palpatine was pumping into the battle like a drug, even drawing from Anakin’s own conflicting emotions, though she was careful not to distract herself with trying to examine them or to cause her own drowning in the violent storm that was Anakin Skywalker when he was conflicted to this degree.

She hadn’t practiced using both blades in Vaapad yet, so the green blade momentarily disappeared from her furious volley of blows, so only her purple blade sliced through the air, clashing violently against Sidious’ own blade.  She kept trying to expand their combat field, to perhaps push him down a hallway or out into the open air of the balcony, but he managed to push back, constantly keeping them contained in the same room.

“Now, this is familiar,” Palpatine snarled as she briefly managed to lock their blades together, the Sith Lord pushing furiously against her blade as he smiled mockingly at her.  Zelina blocked out his taunting the best that she could, focusing on her connection with the Force, and the trading of blows from blade to blade, back and forth, at a strength and speed she knew was slowly chipping away at her defenses, but the Vaapad allowed her to compensate, to feed off of the energy he poured into the battle on his own end in a small attempt to make up for her own shortcomings.

And if she still fell short, she could adjust again, pull out her second lightsaber to assist with the attack.  But she couldn’t think too far ahead at the moment or she would lose track of what was happening and give Palpatine a valuable opening that could be fatal for her.

“A purple bladed Vaapad user trying to get the best of me, not even thinking about Skywalker, not factoring him in, trusting him, thinking that they can best me…”  Palpatine cackled again, madly and gleefully this time, as if he already knew the outcome.  She knew he was thinking of Windu, but she was _not_ Mace Windu.  That was a strength as much as it was a weakness.  “Better be careful, child…”

Zelina heard blasterfire erupt distantly from somewhere outside, and the Force spiked almost painfully through her mind as danger coiled around Obi-Wan and Padme.

How had they not made it to the ship yet?  Was it being guarded?  Had something complicated their escape?  Had Obi-Wan considered coming back for Zelina when the fight broke out, to assist her, maybe trying to hide the Senator before something had prompted him not to race back to her?  She could only hope he would focus on getting Padme out of this hot-bed of danger and not worry about her, or her fight with Palpatine really would be for naught.

Zelina’s millisecond of concentration cost her.  She’d already been vulnerable in the sense that Vaapad left one open to attacks through the Force, but her Force potential and her already well-ingrained habit to draw on the Force and constantly use it to enhance her abilities had given her a cushion to fall back on.  The distraction, on the other hand, gave Palpatine the opening he’d wanted, and he suddenly shoved a hand forward, sending Zelina flying backwards through the air.  Transparisteel glass suddenly shattered around her, pieces slicing skin as it rained all around her through the air.

“Lest you fly out the window!” she faintly heard Sidious crow.

She wasn’t paying much attention to the jest, her body already twisting in midair to seek out something to catch herself with, relying almost entirely on her Force instincts.  Her hand found the railing of the walkway before she could fly over it, and she used her momentum to swing back under the railing and onto the walkway, angling herself down to the right of the window instead of back through and potentially towards an awaiting Sith Lord.  The glass raked up her body, lighting random small sections of skin on fire as she slid along the walkway a short distance.  Her shoto appeared to embed itself into the walkway, slowing down her slide and allowing Zelina to control her momentum enough to be on her feet by the time Palpatine leapt out the window with the air of an animal who was closing in on its prey.

Obi-Wan and Padme were in trouble somewhere behind her, but she couldn’t go and help them because doing so would bring Palpatine right to them, and the entire goal of them fleeing right now was to get Padme and her child as far away from Palpatine as possible.  She’d only be sabotaging her own hope.

Zelina let out a wild shout as she launched herself at Palpatine, fueling her new volley of attacks with the burning protectiveness over Anakin’s family, over the unborn child who’d pled with her for years to help him, over the man she loved but could never have, over her friends who were few and far between because she did not trust easily after everything that had happened to her.

Yes, even she even drew on her pain—just a little—allowing it to tell her brain that she needed to fight for her life, that if she didn’t give it her all now, she _would die_.

Zelina swung her lightsaber like she was going for an overhead blow, watching Palpatine shift to intercept before she cut her leap short and slammed into the ground, sending a powerful burst through the Force out in front of her that knocked him through the air and back several meters with a gargled and furious cry of surprise.  Dimly Zelina noted that she could see Anakin following their battle, and she was semi-relieved to sense concern from him for her own wellbeing, though it wasn’t much of a balm for her worries over her friend considering he had yet to leap in to help her in this fight.

Knowing Palpatine would recover quickly, Zelina only took a moment to adjust the length of her shoto to something closer to a full-length blade (which had been the lightsaber’s original design), hoping to use the extra length to give her a bit more of an edge in the fight.

She needed every buffer she could get.

Palpatine let out an inhuman roar as he suddenly came back at her in all of his terrifying ferocity, lightsaber arching through the air almost too fast for Zelina to catch it, causing her to rapidly backtrack as she was attacked by what she could only describe as a shadow.  She relied entirely on the Force alone to tell her where she should put her blade, trying to back up to someplace not as narrow as the walkway, where she felt trapped by Palpatine’s attacks.

In the brief time that they were on the walkway, Zelina felt Palpatine land several hits, small but sharp and even deep cuts landing on her arms and legs, one managing to graze her torso at one point.  The pain was excruciating but she forced herself to keep going, managing to open a door despite the precious morsel of attention it required for her to do so before she rapidly backed into the room.  Anakin was following their destructive path, looking like he was on the brink of jumping in, and frankly, part of Zelina wished he’d just hurry up and intervene soon.  She was starting to lose, as she’d predicted, and she wanted to see a resolution with Anakin before she was cut in half or something along those lines.

As they entered the large control center, Zelina noted with mild glee that there were things to throw in this room, and wasted no time in sending chairs, chunks of metal, and even corpses at Palpatine in an attempt to gain an upper hand.  The Sith Lord easily cut through anything that she threw at him, but she didn’t mind, because at least his lightsaber was being focused on something other than slicing her to ribbons, even if it was for a second.

Palpatine cut through the next corpse she threw at him with irritation, and Zelina suddenly found the Sith Lord directly in her face once again, snarling and furious.  She had enough time to note their close proximity, even with crossed lightsabers, before she acted on a whim that, while it cost her a little, she felt gave her an upper hand immensely worth it.

Sidious counted too much on her honor as a duelist.

Before she could even register what she was doing, Zelina deactivated her lightsaber, allowing a surprised Sidious’s lightsaber to sheer off a layer of skin out of the front of her shoulder, back of her hand, and around her wrist that put Zelina in excruciating pain…

…but also giving her the opportunity to reactivate her blade within his defenses and pull in, severing a hand at the wrist in the process.

Zelina staggered away as Sidious let loose a furious howl that rocked the room, tears stinging her eyes as her hand fluttered for the decently sized chunk of skin that had been gauged away by Sidious’ lightsaber.

She couldn’t focus on that right now, right now the pain would fuel an ambidextrous Sidious who could still fight with one hand.

Zelina forced the hand that wanted to grab at her sudden injury to hold a lightsaber instead, eyes watering as she tried to ignore the sensation in her shoulder, breathing shallow as she tried again to draw on the pain in order to tell her body to fight.

Sidious whipped around towards Zelina, about to descend upon her in a merciless fury of darkness, when the facility was rocked by yet another force, this time one from the physical realm that Zelina’s ears were very attuned to.

An explosion.

Coming from the landing pad.

At the same time Zelina felt two presences close to her own heart suddenly snuffed dim in the Force.

_Obi-Wan…_

_Padme…_

“NO!”

Zelina’s had been a gasp, but Anakin’s cry was thunderous as what had happened registered in his mind as well.

Zelina’s exclamation was also quickly swallowed up in a scream, as Palpatine used Zelina’s costly distraction to unleash his fury upon her in the form of Sith Lightning.  Part of her felt that the extent of what he unleased upon her was unrestrained, but another small and rapidly deteriorating part of her brain informed her that if it had been the full extent, she’d be dead instantly.

Close enough.

The lightning ripped through every cell in her body, lighting it aflame and burning it to a crisp.  She could smell the ozone the instant the tendrils snaked across her body, and she collapsed to the floor in an uncontrollable spasm, the world evaporating into a sheet of blinding purple and white.

It might have only lasted seconds, it might have only lasted an hour, or perhaps it had been days, but the initial pain did end.

But not soon enough.

Her screams were still ringing in her ears, causing the sounds of furious shouts to echo dully in her ears.  The world tilted and swam, and Zelina found the effort to breath, to collapse and fill her lungs in a cycle, too strenuous for a suddenly fried body.  Her eyes rolled loosely, unseeing except for splashes of white, streaks of purple light, and darkness.  Her finger twitched, and a new shot of pain ripped up her decimated nervous system.

Her hearing rang, but bursts of sound occasionally made it past the muffled underwater effect, piercing her eardrum with a shouted word in what sounded like Anakin’s voice, and…the clash of lightsabers.

She had to see what was happening.

Even as she choked on her own breaths—she didn’t even know how that was _possible_ —Zelina forced her eyes to be open, to clear the spots, to erase this temporary blindness and show her what was happening.

Darkness continued to blur her vision, though when the world tilted again and she rolled lifelessly with the tilt, different blurs of color raced past her vision, and she realized her eyes were open.

But darkness was creeping into the edges of her vision…rapidly.  Her strength was non-existent, and whatever part of her was left, she was channeling into this one last glimpse at reality.

Blurs took moving shapes of color, sometimes sharp and bright and stabbing, and the rest out of focus, but as her vision slipped between the two, she was able to make out a scene, pieced together in her consciousness from the brief flashes she managed to see.

Anakin…lightsaber ablaze…fighting Palpatine with a fury.

Anakin…Anakin fighting Palpatine.

Anakin…

“Ana…k…”

The words came out in a wheeze as Zelina struggled for air, hand reaching out in the general direction that she’d seen the blue glow of his lightsaber, the dark streak that was Anakin Skywalker possessed with a furious purpose.  Her friend.  No…no, the man she loved.

Her body wasn’t responding to her command anymore.  She wanted to get up, to go to him, to help, or to even call out his name, but she couldn’t, she was even…even losing the energy to think, and something was ebbing out of her.  Not something physical, something else, something bright and luminous.

Snippets floated towards her of a warning she had tried her best to ignore.

_…You could be my protector, my guardian, my teacher, or not be there at all…_

_The only way I see you not being in my son's life is if you died._

_…not be there at all…_

The breath sighed out of her as Zelina’s body went lax against the smooth durasteel floor, hand outstretched in front of her with palm open in one last desperate attempt to reach Anakin, to help him, to stop Palpatine, to stop all of this.

_I’m so sorry, Luke._

Darkness encroached, pulling at her soul, tugging her away as she heard screams and lightning and lightsabers in a confusing cacophony that no longer made any sense.  She could find no purchase to hold her there any longer, no foothold that allowed her to claw her way back to at least see what was happening, to see if Anakin would win, so see who would survive if not her.

_Anakin…_

With nothing left in her to fight, no path she could see that guided her back to the land of the living, she simply…let go.

* * *

**_The End of When Darkness Falls…_ **


	20. Important Note

Okay…I’m going to be brutally honest, guys.

There shall be more.  Obviously, after that cliffhanger, heh.

HOWEVER--

I’m still sketching what comes next, I want to have as clear of an idea for this part as I have for the past four books, and right now I have a few abstract thoughts.  I’ve got some serious character and world building in order to do that.  I’m determined to have my plot outline hammered out, and to have new characters fleshed out or characters effected by upcoming changes to be appropriately altered according to those changes.

Which means you’re going to be waiting a while before I get the next book…sorry.

But hey, at least you know there’s more coming!!!

…

Eventually.


End file.
